Attack of the 50-Bit Nicelander
by CandleHeadButt
Summary: With Gene and Mary's wedding coming up in a few weeks, the two are getting the final details together! There is one detail that Gene however can not ignore and once something happens to change that, it might put the wedding and the entire game in jeopardy.
1. Chapter 1-Pipsqueak

Chapter One- Pipsqueak

"Is everything steady?" Gene asked as he held the other end of the coffee table.

"You've asked me that thirty times, Gene! Goodness, you now I have this!" Don said, carefully entering the apartment.

The two men placed the coffee table in the living room, Gene making sure that it was arranged perfectly with everything else within the room. The man nodded in satisfaction as he rubbed his hands together.

"There! Everything is in its place!"

"Ya know, I can't believe this is actually happening…." Don said with a chuckle "But I'm also GLAD that it is!"

"You're glad that WHAT'S happening?" Gene asked as he looked over to his neighbor.

"Why, you and Mary finally getting hitched of course!" the sailor laughed, putting his arm around Gene's shoulder "Not to be full of myself BUT, heh, I knew it was going to happen sometime this year!"

Gene gave Don a sarcastic look, crossing his arms "Really now? Perhaps you would like to know that I already KNEW that you were discussing your premonitions with everyone in the apartment, DONALD."

The sailor flinched a bit once he say the rather nasty glare that Gene was giving him, "O-Oh? Heh, how'd ya know?"

"Considering how much YOU flap your mouth around here, it was only a matter of time before I heard it from SOMEONE." The mayor said in a gruff voice, taking his neighbor's arm off him.

Don blushed a bit as adjusted the collar of his coat; once again, his incessant talking had given him away and it came to no surprise that he was just a little embarrassed.

But Gene began to smile.

THAT smile.

The smile he would always pull when he was joking around. Much to Don's relief, Gene began to laugh, the little mayor satisfied that he had managed to shut Don up for a moment.

"Okay, okay. Ya got me…." The sailor said as he put his hands in his pockets "But I stand by what I say when I tell ya that I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks Donnie! You know that means a lot to me!" Gene smiled "The only thing I regret is that it took THIS long and so many bad things to push me forward into asking her…."

"Well, at least ya did!" Don said "And soon, we'll have a Mr. and MRS. Nicelander Mayor Gene!"

Once again, Gene was overcome with happiness and with the wedding to happen in only a few weeks, he was beside himself in excitement but of course, being the man that he was he made sure that he didn't get TOO carried. Sure, everyone in Niceland noticed that Gene was a lot happier, a lot calmer, and most of all A LOT LESS GRUMPY, but that didn't mean the man was slacking off! Not in the least!

He was still Mayor of this every growing neighborhood and he was not afraid to remind people of it!

Nicely, of course!

"Say, a few of the guys are heading over to Burger Time to pick up some dinner. Care to come with us?" asked Don.

"Burger Time? Er, good idea but I've been trying to be more careful with my diet, Don." Gene said rather tartly "I don't want to go overboard on indulgent food!"

"Oh please!" a haughty voice rang from the door. Both men turned to see Mary standing before them, the woman eyeing Gene with a teasing look "This coming from the man who would eat NOTHING but cake had it not been for me!"

Gene blushed brightly as he straightened his cardigan "Mary, darling! While I admit that I do have a rather large sweet tooth, I am careful in what I eat."

Mary and Don exchanged looks, the sailor looking off to the side as he forced himself not to laugh. Gene knew when he was being teased and when it came to Mary, the teasing was inescapable. He grumbled a bit as he crossed his arms.

"Okay, okay. Ha ha…."

"Awww, don't be like that squishy face!" Mary said as she tickled Gene under his chin "You know I was kidding!"

Gene softened a bit as he looked into Mary's eyes; he just couldn't stay angry at her "I-I know…."

"But Don does have a good idea! I wouldn't mind something from Burger Time myself!"

"Really? I never knew you fancied their burgers!" Gene said with a surprised look.

"Gene! We go there all the time!" Mary said with a laugh, squishing the man's left cheek "Don't act like you're too fancy for their fare!"

"I'm NOT! It's just-!"

"It's just that we still have a ton of unpacking to do here and I want to get it done as soon as possible!" Mary said with a smile "Would you be a dear and pick something up for the both of us? I'll pay!"

There was no arguing out of this one; Mary had made plans and Gene had no choice but to follow them. Granted though, he didn't mind one bit but he was so shocked that Mary was able to convince him to go with Don in only three seconds flat. The man chuckled before he kissed his fiancé warmly.

"Fine dear, I'll go."

* * *

"Hey, EGGY! I said we needed THREE specials tonight!" shouted Peter from the kitchen.

"I DID put three! I guess it was the ketchup on the order, coverin' it up!" the character shouted from the counter, a little miffed.

"Aw, EGGY! Ya know better than that!"

"Boy, this place is crowded tonight!" Gene said as he looked up, trying his best to squeeze through the crowd.

"Ya know how this place can get when Peter introduces a new burger on the menu!" Don said, following close behind "It's always a madhouse here to be the first to try it!"

"I don't see why!" the mayor replied with a sniff "It's not like ALL of his 'creations' turn out that well. Need I remind you of his WAFFLE BURGER experiment?"

Don shuddered at the very thought and the very TASTE of the thing, "Do I ever!"

After much pushing, the two Nicelanders finally made their way through the crowd, making it up towards the counter.

"Excuse me!" Gene called.

No reply.

Gene looked up, realizing that the counter was some distance away from his head but there was no bother! He cleared his throat, trying to speak a little louder.

"EXCUSE ME!"

Still no reply.

Don put a hand on his friend's shoulder "Gene, why don't you-?"

"I got this Don, I got this!" the mayor said, pushing Don back a bit. He then looked up, noticing a flash of silver on the counter.

A bell!

Ah-ha, of course!

Gene hopped up once, trying his best to reach the thing but in his first attempt, he had not only missed the counter-top, he had hadn't even come CLOSE to it.

"Eh, second tries are better…." The mayor said, rolling back his sleeves as he hopped again, this time getting a little higher.

Still no go.

Okay, now things were starting to get annoying!

This was one of the downfalls of living in an arcade with such a variety of characters; because of the scaling differences, EVERY game was built to suit the needs of those characters but not others. For some games, it wasn't that bad. The Nicelanders were able to get around with ease but in others….

Well, despite being full-grown adults the Nicelanders were the size of CHILDREN to other characters.

Very, very, VERY TINY children.

In Burger Time, it was no different. Peter himself wasn't a tall man but since the entire area was meant to be BIG to make thing tougher for him to get through, it was also big for the Nicelanders.

VERY big!

And if there was one thing Gene absolutely HATED more than anything, even being thrown out the window (which he didn't hate as much as he used to) it was being reminded that he was SMALL.

The Nicelander growled as he tried for a third time to reach the bell and to his luck, he hit it.

DING!

"FINALLY!" the man said, a smile coming on his face.

"Yeah, hold on Eggy, we have someone at the counter!" shouted Tomato. The giant slice looked around but saw no on.

Not another prank! Couldn't people see that they were BUSY?!

"Okay! Whoever thought that ringin' da bell like this was funny, I'm gonna-!"

"HEY, HEY, HEY!" shouted Gene, sounding a little frustrated "DOWN HERE!"

Pickle jolted as she heard the sharp voice calling up to her. She then peaked behind the counter and saw Gene, the little Nicelander scowling up to her as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the floor.

"Down here…." The mayor said in a gruff tone.

Whatever anger Gene was showing was lost to Tomato, the character smiling from ear to ear as she looked down at the Nicelander "Oh! You guys again! Sorry didn't see ya down there!"

Ouch.

Don stepped up, not wanting the situation to go from bad to worse "Eh, hi there young lady! Um, Gene and I will have three orders to go if you don't mind!"

"Sure shorties, what would like?" the character said, taking out an order pad.

DOUBLE OUCH.

"We'd-!" Gene said, his voice breaking a bit. He cleared his throat "WE would like one of your Bleu Moon specials, one of your double stacks, and a Golden Coin Burger. IF, you don't mind!"

Tomato took the orders down, smiling as she did so "Whoa, those things are kinda big ya know! But then again, what do you expect from two growin' boys!"

At this point, Don could see the red flushing onto Gene's face but the sailor didn't know whether or not Gene was MAD or just EMBARRASSED (or BOTH!) by the comment but he knew it would be best to end the situation as quickly as possible.

"THANKS MA'AM! WE'LL, er….be waiting in the….booth…." Don said as he pulled Gene from the counter and towards one of the booths.

Don knew that Tomato MEANT well but she HAD laid it pretty hard on the short jokes, at least when Gene was concerned. Gene himself was turning as red as a tomato but remembering the promise he made to himself, he took a few deep breaths….

Calmness, calmness, calmness….

And he felt SOME of his anger fading away.

SOME OF IT.

"Okay….okay. I think I'm fine…."

"Good. I would hate to see what would happen if you had exploded on the poor girl!" Don said, wiping his brow.

"Mrrpf…" Gene snorted, leaning on the table and pouting a bit "S'not like she wouldn't have it comin'!"

"GENE!"

* * *

"So, what type of cake do you want for the wedding?" Mary asked as she looked through the recipe book "I actually want to take a break from baking, believe it or not! I mean, there are so many types of cakes I HAVEN'T tried so-!"

Mary looked up, seeing Gene nibble on his burger rather grumpily.

"Gene?"

The man looked up a bit, snapping out of whatever pout he was in "Mmm? Is there something wrong, dear?"

"Hmmm, I think I should be the one asking YOU that question!" Mary said, pointing toward Gene with her pen "You've been rather gloomy since you got back. Did something happen?"

Gene gulped as he put his hands in front of his fiancé, trying his best to seem chipper "No, no, no! Everything is FINE dear! Just GREAT!"

Mary gave Gene a suspicious glance; she knew something was up and she wanted to know EXACTLY what it was.

It was time for….the look.

"Gene?" Mary said, her eyes going right towards the man "Tell me what's wrong."

The mayor attempted to look away from his love but her eyes! Those big, blue eyes! THEY WERE GOING RIGHT INTO HIM! The more he fought, the more he could feel their power digging right into his soul! After a few seconds, Gene found that he was unable to look away from his fiancé and with a defeated moan, he turned back towards her.

"Mary….have you EVER felt bad for being short?"

The pink Nicelander was a little shocked about the question; did she ever feel bad about being short?

"Er, well….I can't….I mean, there have been times when I find it a little ANNOYING that I can't see everyone eye to eye-!"

"And that we can't reach a lot of things in other games?" Gene continued.

"Y-yes, or that some younger characters are a TAD taller than us…."

"And the constant jokes?"

"GENE."

"I'm sorry dear, I just….." Gene buried his face in his hands for a moment, groaning "I know this is STUPID, but…."

"Someone made another joke about your height, DIDN'T they?" Mary finished.

Gene nodded, rolling his eyes "I swear, it must be some form of entertainment to annoy us…."

Mary twittered a bit as she walked towards Gene, putting her arms around him "Gene, Gene, Gene! You can't let every little thing bother you! You're like an angry version of Roy! EVERYTHING becomes an issue with you and you know it SHOULDN'T!"

"I am NOT like R-!" Gene blurted, only to be cut off when Mary put a finger to his lips.

"Shush…" the woman said, smiling "Dear, trust me when I say that I SHARE some of your annoyances with being…PETITE. But that's the way we're designed and we can't change that!"

Gene leaned back in his chair, sighing a bit "True, very true….but I do wish that the person who did our concept art would have added a BIT of height! I mean, Ralph's nine and a half feet tall? Even if he made us FIVE feet tall, Ralph would still be big to us!"

Mary kissed the man on the nose, finding his gripping much too funny "But if we weren't small, we wouldn't be as cute. YOU wouldn't be as cute!"

The mayor blushed, "You really think so?"

"Of course I do…." Mary said, squishing Gene's chubby cheeks "I wub my widdles Mayor Gene fun-sized! He doesn't need ta be big ta win me over!"

Ever since his encounter at Burger Time, Gene was starting to feel better. Maybe Mary was right. Maybe he was letting the entire height issue get to him. Even though he still felt that it was a major inconveniences in some situations, Mary's words just put a bit of confidence in the man's mind.

"Thank you dear…." Gene said softly, giving Mary an Eskimo Kiss "You always manage to put a bright spot in things!"

"You're welcome dear!" Mary said "I mean, you know some of us are designed a TAD differently than others anyway! Some of us are a tad taller while the rest are a smidge shorter and chubbier! It's not all that bad!"

And in that very moment, Gene's confidence was gone again.

Right.

THAT LITTLE DETAIL.

Any die-hard fan of Fix-it-Felix Jr. knew that the designers and programmers hadn't COMPLETELY created the Nicelanders from just one pallet. If one looked closely, they could see that there were indeed some Nicelanders who were smaller and rounder and some were a tad taller. Not that this made any difference to player; all they saw were tiny, chubby people who gave out pies.

And in that moment, Gene began to fret what camp he belonged to.

"W-wait a second!" the man said, springing to his feet.

"G-Gene, what is it!" Mary said, a little shocked at Gene's sudden outburst.

The man ran to the kitchen drawers, fishing around for a tape measure.

"I need to check this out for a second!" the mayor shouted, grabbing his fiancé by the wrist and taking her to his office.

"G-Gene! What is going on?! And why do you need the measuring tape!?"

"I just…I just need to check something!" the man said "Take off your heels!"

"My heels, but-!"

"Mary! PLEASE!" the man said, desperation in his face.

The woman sighed as she took off her shoes, Gene pushing her back against the wall and putting the tape to her side. Once the woman realized what was going on, she let out a frustrated groan.

"Gene? REALLY?!"

"Don't move, don't move!" the man said, counting the inches on the wall and marking Mary's height.

Three feet, four inches.

That's about right for a Nicelander.

"Okaaaaay…." Gene said, handing the tape off to Mary "Now me!"

"Gene, this is RIDICULOUS! You're getting yourself worked up over NOTHING!" Mary said with a frown, putting her hands on her hips.

"Please Mary! I PROMISE I won't do this again if you just-!" Gene begged, holding his hands together.

Mary sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes "FINE! But when we turn out to be the same height, you're NEVER complaining about your height again, you hear?!"

Mary extended the tape as Gene stood nervously against the wall, counting each inch and making sure not to miss a beat.

"One, two…."

"S-so?!" Asked the worried Gene "A-are we the same height?"

Mary didn't say a word. She only marked off the height before turning back towards Gene, a rather nervous grin on her face.

"W-well-!"

That wasn't a good sign.

"Well?!" Gene said in a sharp tone "Well WHAT?!"

"Uum….i-its fine Gene! There's nothing wrong!"

Oh ho, Gene knew something was up.

Or better yet, he knew he was DOWN.

NOT what he wanted!

The little man turned around and looked at the marks, finding that Mary outdid him….by a FULL two inches.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" the man shouted, his eyes wide in shock "I'M SHORTER THAN YOU?!"

"Gene! GENE! You BETTER not go insane over this!" Mary said, grabbing Gene by the shoulder but by this time, it was too late. Gene had gone into full panic mode.

"I'm shorter than my fiancé! I'M SHORTER THAN MY FIANCÉ!"

"GENE! I TOLD YOU IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Mary shouted, trying her best to reach her love.

"Oh programmers! If I'm shorter than YOU…WHO ELSE COULD I BE SHORTER THAN?!"

"Oh no! DON'T YOU DARE GO TO EVERYONE AND-!"

Too late.

Before Mary could stop him, Gene had already ran out the door, living a bit of eight-bit dust behind him. The woman moaned as she slapped her forehead.

This was going to be a LONG, LONG night!

For the rest of the night, Gene had gone to EACH and every one of his neighbors, pulling them over just so he could measure their height. One could only imagine the annoyance everyone was going through but when the MAYOR told you to do something, you did it, no matter how STUPID it was. By the time Gene made it back to his apartment, he was EXHAUSTED but he was also satisfied knowing that he had recorded everyone's heights for his own study.

Well, HE was happy.

Mary on the other hand?

Mary sat on the couch, an angry look on her face as she watched Gene stagger into the apartment, nearly falling on the floor.

"SO." She said in a gruff tone "HAVE FUN?"

"A-a-at least I got everything!" Gene said with a smile, managing to pull himself on the couch. Mary once again rolled her eyes, completely fed up with Gene's behavior.

"Gene, come on! Get a grip! There is no need for you to put so much energy into this! So what if some of us are taller than you! You're taller than some of the others, RIGHT?"

Gene shook his head, "You'd be surprised!"

"DEAR." the woman said, finally giving in "Alright! Fine! Humor me! Tell me what your grand research has brought to us!"

"Well…" the man said, pulling his glasses from his pocket "Here are the results!"

"Do tell…"

"Out of all the Nicelander ladies, I am taller than Nel and Lucy!"

"Ah, that makes sense!" Mary said "Nel is rather small once you realize her hair takes up much of her pixels and Lucy-!"

"But…." The man said dryly, his voice wavering "O-out of everyone ELSE?"

"Yes?" asked Mary, moving in a bit closer towards the man to get a better look.

"I'm…..I'M THE THIRD SHORTEST NICELANDER IN THE ENTIRE GAME!" Gene blurted out, throwing the list into the air in anger.

"Even Tony?"

"YES, EVEN TONY!" Gene growled, putting his hands in his hands "HOW?! WHY?! HOW COULD-?! THERE'S NO-!?"

"Um….have you ever thought you might be smaller so Ralph can throw you easier?" Mary said, trying and FAILING at making Gene feel as if there were some sort of explanation. Gene just gave Mary a glare but the glare faded, turning into a look of disinterest.

"It's official. EVERYTHING about me was programmed to humiliate me! I'm a throwing dummy, I get blown up at the bonus stage, and just knowing the fact that I'm ONLY taller than NEL and LUCY is the finally dollop of frosting on my suck cake!"

"NICELANDER GENE!" Mary said, pinching Gene on his nose "SNAP OUTTA IT!"

"MAR-E! OW!"

"Look! I'm SICK of you moping over this stupid height thing! It's pointless, it doesn't mean anything! IT'S INSIGNIFICANT!" Mary said as she took Gene by his fat cheeks, shaking him "The only person who's making this a big deal is YOU so starting now, I want you to stop!"

"And if I DON'T?!" Gene said crossly.

"I pinch-a your nose everytime! EVERY. TIME!"

The mayor subconsciously felt his hand going towards his nose but he stopped himself. He knew Mary was trying her best to sound threatening but he also knew that she was right. He just HAD to stop letting his height bother him like this! What type of collective person would do this?

Sighing heavily, Gene leaned onto Mary "You're right. This is stupid…..I'm sorry I've been so crazy over this!"

Mary smiled as she began to run her fingers through Gene's hair "You were going a little bananas….but hey, you wouldn't be my Gene if you WEREN'T a little bananas!" the woman said with a twitter.

The mayor smiled up towards his love, taking her hands gently before kissing them "Little? Come on Mary, cut me a break!"


	2. Chapter 2- Of Rainbows and Cake

Chapter Two- Of Rainbows and Cake

"Quitin' time!"

Everyone in Niceland made their way back towards the main entrance to clean up after another day of work. The only thing left to do after that?

Figure out how to spend the night of course!

"So what's the plans for tonight?" asked Blake, brushing up some of the leaves.

"Well, I don't know about YOU guys!" Lucy said in a haughty tone "But I've got myself a HOT DATE to a concert tonight!"

"Really Lucy?" snickered Pearl "With WHOM?"

"Just someone by the name of, oh, SKRILLEX!" the Nicelander said, making her way back to the apartment "I guess the man can see the real beauty of Nicelander women! Or at least, the beauty of Mio!"

"Wow, I guess those two hit off after she chucked that kid at him…" Roy whispered to Deanna, the woman laughing to herself.

It was hard to imagine that only a year ago, such talk of dates and wild nights would never happen in Niceland but since everyone started going out a lot more often, they all had stories to tell.

But Lucy wasn't the only one heading out this night.

"Ralph!" Mary asked, calling up to the wrecker "You're going to see Vanellope tonight, right?"

"Of course, ma'am!" Ralph said with a broad grin "What's up? You guys wanna come with tonight?"

Mary nodded her head with a smile "Yes! I want to talk to one of the racers about helping us with some of the things for the wedding! Since those kids now just about as much as pastries as I do, well….I thought they would be PERFECT to take on the task of baking the cake!"

Ralph put his hand on his chin as he thought for a moment, a light appearing in his eye "Mary, do I have the racer for you!"

"Mary?" rang a familiar voice from behind the woman "What's going on?"

"Genie…." The woman cooed, poking the man on his nose "How would you like to take a little trip to a place that ALWAYS has those brownies you like in stock!"

"Food Fight?" the man answered a little absentmindedly.

"Gene!" Mary said "No, Sugar Rush!"

"OH…..right…." Gene said rubbing the back of his neck. As much as he didn't want to offend anyone there, Sugar Rush wasn't exactly Gene's favorite place to go and it wasn't because he didn't enjoy the sweets. If anything, Gene would mostly likely eat the entire game if it weren't for Ralph to pull him out.

It was just…

The atmosphere.

The kids.

The noise.

The music.

Basically, so many things.

But Mary seemed so EXCITED, he just couldn't say no! Biting his tongue, the man forced a smile.

"SUGAR RUSH! Of COURSE! That sounds….wonderful."

"Great! We're leaving with Ralph in a moment or so, so get ready!"

"I-I'm sure I will, darling!" Gene said through his forced grin, "I'm sure I will…."

Aspirin and a whisky flask; those were the only things needed for this outlet!

* * *

"IT'S TIME TA RACE!" Vanellope shouted over the intercom "Whoever doesn't cross the line in time blah, blah, blah! We've done this a million times! Why am I actin' like we don't know the rules?" the racer grinned, jumping into her kart as she reeved the engine.

"Ten bucks say Minty is going to try to THROW her car over the finish line again…" Gloyd whispered over to Rancis.

"I don't think we need to bet on that happening!" the peanut butter racer chuckled, securing himself further into his kart.

"I don't see her…." Ralph said from the crowd as he peered into the line-up.

"Who are you looking for dear?" Mary asked.

"Gah, I'm looking for Candlehead! If you wanna talk about cakes, SHE'S the kid to go to!"

Ralph looked back at the line up and once he realized the huge cake-kart was nowhere to be found, Candlehead was obviously not in the racer. But where could she have gone? It wasn't as if it were that difficult to lose a kid with a flaming candle on her head.

"Excuse me a bit!" Ralph said as he made his way to the karts "I've gotta a president to talk to!"

"Okay, thrusters ready! Engine all ready to go!" Vanellope said as she looked over her kart. As she adjusted her mirrors, the familiar sight of red overalls began to come into view. She turned around, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey Stink-Brain!" the racer said with a smile "Come to wish me luck before I claim another victory?"

Ralph snorted a laugh, "Why Madame President! How HUMBLE of you!" the man said as he bowed "Actually, have you seen Candlehead? Ya see, Mary is tryin' to come up with cakes for the wedding and I thought she would be perfect to go to!"

"Well, DOI!" Vanellope laughed "I mean, if you can stop her from eating the cake first!"

The racer turned around, pointing towards one of the many bakeries that dotted the land "C-Butt had to take the day off since she volunteered to help some of the candy kids bake cakes tonight! If you see something EXPLODE, that's a GOOD THING!"

"And if it doesn't?" Ralph said, raising an eyebrow.

Silence.

"IT'S A GOOD THING." Vanellope said, pulling down her goggles "Well, gotta race!"

If things EXPLODED, it was a good sign?

If things DIDN'T EXPLODE, it was a good sign?

"Wow, maybe I should have tried Crumbellina!" Ralph said, making his way back to the stands where Mary and Gene were waiting.

* * *

"Now, today we're all gonna learn tha art of makin' tha PERFECT RAINBOW TOWER CAKE!" Candlehead said, nearly bursting with excitement. The candy kids looked up in awe at their teacher, sharing the same amount of enthusiasm.

"Ms. Candlehead, ma'am?" asked one candy kid "What exactly IS a Rainbow Tower cake?"

Candlehead GASPED, STUNNED to find that the child had not had the GLORY of being introduced to the delight.

"Why, it's tha SWEETEST, most SCRUMPTIOUS, most TASTY, SHOVE IN YOUR MOUTH TILL YA EXPLODE cake you'll EVER eat!" the girl cheered, jumping into the air, her candle sparking "It contains all colors of the rainbow an' each of those colors have their own unique flavor!"

The girl jumped up once again, almost as if she were trying to ACT OUT the colors and flavors.

"Red has a spicy flavor! Orange is mellow an' soft! Yellow an' green! Sweet, sour, zesty! Purple, rich an' delightfully sweet! An' blue! Bright an' bouncy! Put 'em all together'!"

Just at that moment, Ralph and the two Nicelander made their way into the bakery but Candlehead hadn't noticed them yet, still caught in her daydream of her cake.

"AN' YA GET THA RAINBOW TOWER CAKE!"

"MY!" Gene said "SOME is excited!"

Bad move.

If there was one thing Candlehead loved more than shoving her face with tasty goodies, it was seeing friends!

"AAAH! MR. RALPH! MR. MAYOR NICELANDER GENE! MS. NICELANDER MARY GENE'S FIANCÉ!" the girl shouted, her eyes wide in happiness as she FLUNG herself into Ralph, the big man catching her.

"Glad we caught you at a good time!" the wrecker laughed as he returned the hug.

"A good time? It's MORE than a good time!" Candlehead grinned "Ya caught us right when we're about ta make-!"

"Some sort of rainbow cake! We know, we know!" Ralph chuckled.

Candlehead then turned down to see the Nicelanders below her.

Someone needed their HUGS!

"EEEE!" the girl shouted in jubilation as she went sailing down towards Gene.

"Aw, wait, WAIT! DON'T-!"

BAM!

With a loud WHOMP, Candlehead landed atop of Gene, the little Nicelander letting out a pained cry once the kid fell on him.

"I am SO glad that ya guys came by!" Candlehead squealed as she locked Gene in such a tight hug, that he was beginning to turn purple.

"Y-YES!" Gene gagged, finding it harder and harder to breathe "It's nice to see you too! Now…can't! BREATHE!"

The ditzy racer let go of Gene and went over to Mary, scooping her up into a hug as well "But why did ya guys come? I mean, did we miss somethin' special over in Niceland? You're not mad at us, are ya?"

"No dear, no!" Mary said with a laugh "I just wanted to ask you for a favor!"

"Oh?" the little racer said, blinking in confusion "Ya need me ta drive ya somewhere?"

"GOODNESS, NO!" Gene said, getting back on his feet and cracking his now sore back "I mean, we have something much more important for you to do!"

Mary took Candlehead by her hands, smiling up at her warmly "Dear, if would be an HONOR for both Gene and I if you….if you made the cake for our wedding!"

For the first time since the group had arrived, Candlehead said nothing. The girl just stared at Mary, her eyes HUGE, her candle going out.

"Excuse me…." The girl said, dropping Mary's hands "I hafta go outside ta my kart for a moment…."

Everyone watched as Candlehead walked outside the bakery….and once the doors closed the girl more or less EXPLODED in happiness! She gave an ENORMOUS cheer as she leapt what seemed to be twelve feet into the air, her candle shooting out FIREWORKS at this point.

"OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!" the girl cried in joy, bouncing up and down like an over-hyped rabbit.

"WOW!" Ralph said "SOMEONE'S happy!"

Once her celebration was complete, Candlehead made her way back into the bakery, much calmer now but with a huge grin on her face. She removed her hat, her cowlick springing up as it always did, and tried her hand in acting as posh as she could in front of the couple.

"Mr. Mayor Nicelander Gene? Ms. Nicelander Mary? I would be more than HAPPY to help you!"

"Wonderful!" Mary said, hugging the girl "We can talk about which cake would be best later but now….now I want to see you make THIS one!"

"WHAT!? Mary, you can't be serious!" Gene said, wanting nothing more than to leave before something else happened "I mean-! Mary, the child obviously has a class she needs to teach! We would be intruding on her and-!"

"Nope, nope, nope! Ya should join in!" Candlehead said grinning from ear to ear "Besides, it would give ya a taste of what I can do!"

"That would be fun, WOULDN'T IT GENE?" Mary said, turning towards her fiancé.

Gene was obviously a tad nervous about this; he heard stories. Even though Candlehead was known for her WONDERFUL cakes, she was also known for making quite the show whenever she was baking.

And by SHOW, it always involved something exploding or becoming much bigger than everyone had expected.

The Nicelander gulped in fear, dreading what could happen to his suit if something were to go boom but he just couldn't fight off the looks that both she and Mary were giving him.

Darn it! IT'S ALWAYS THE EYES!

The man sighed, admitting defeat.

"Alright. Besides, I guess it would be nice to learn more about the sweets that are made here and GWAAAARK!"

And then Candlehead hugged Gene again, picking him off the ground this time.

"YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS!"

"Please put me down…" the Nicelander whined, his arms going numb from the squeezing.

Once everything as set up, Candlehead began.

"First thing ya wanna do is get your batter ready! For the base, we take a simple 'nilla cake batter! Borin' right?" the girl said, making a dull face but not a second later, she turned, becoming much more excited "WRONG! The batter is only tha base! Now we need ta get our COLOR on!"

Skipping to the other side of the bakery, Candlehead returned carrying loads of various candies in her arms, dropping them all like rocks onto the floor.

"Um, is that sanitary?" Gene asked.

Mary shushed him "Honey, hush."

"Now, for those who wondered where colors can be flavored, here's your answer! By addin' various types of sugar candies, I can give a unique flavor ta ANYTHIN' POSSIBLE!"

The girl grabbed a red candy, breaking it in half and pouring its powdered contents into the first bowl. She took a deep breath, taking in the fantastic smell of the candy, the spice sending a jolt up and down her spine.

"Smell that? A perfect combination of spicy n' sweet! It's not overwhelmin' like Atomic Fireballs but it's not as bland as stale cinnamon! It's the PERFECT combination!"

The little children all gathered around the giant bowl, looking in awe as Candlehead continued her work. Soon, the smell began to make its way to the girl's other guest. Ralph loved the scent of the cake already and, with the batter being red and all, he had to admit that this would be his favorite flavor of the bunch.

"See, didn't I tell ya? The kid's got talent!"

Gene stood up a bit, trying to see over the crowd but found it increasingly difficult as the children continued to swarm in front of him.

"E-excuse me!" the man said, trying his best not to knock anyone over "We have other people here!"

"Oh, did ya wanna see Mr. Mayor Gene?" the racer smiled "Just come on over!"

"Well, if you don't mind…." The mayor replied haughtily, adjusting his tie. He ambled his way over to the table but as he did so, he was once again met with an all too familiar foe.

A table that was too high.

He looked down, suddenly realizing that Candlehead was standing on a chair as well to elevate her height.

"Er, young lady?"

"Hmmm?" the girl looked down, a bit oblivious to the fact. A second later, the message got to her brain and she let out a gasp "Oh, I am SO sorry, Mr. Mayor!" the girl said as she ran and got a rather large pot for the man to stand on.

"Ah, thank you!"

"Heh, we shorties gotta stick together, right?" the girl said with a smile.

Ouch.

Ah well, at least it wasn't as painful as what had happened the other night.

"An' now for the blue!" Candlehead continued, mixing and stirring the batter. As Gene watched, he mentally took down everything that the racer was doing. He was amazed at just how dedicated she was to her craft, even if she were a bit messy at times but he knew better than to judge her like that. She was a kid! She was CANDLEHEAD! You can't have either without being a LITTLE messy.

"An' now for the finally kicker!" Candlehead said, all six colors mixed into the pans "We add in a bit of SPICE!"

"Oh? You mean like ginger or nutmeg?" asked Mary.

"Nah, nah, nah! BETTER than that!" the racer said with a wink "Tha final ingredient to THIS, is a bit of POW'AH!" the girl said, striking a pose.

"Power?" asked Gene.

Candlehead looked at everyone around the room, pouting as she put her hands on her hips.

"C',on guys! If ya want this cake ta be GOOD, ya gotta do it with me!"

The girl put one fist into the air.

"POW!"

After a second or so, the others followed suit; apparently, there was a lot of other actions involved in making this cake.

"Pow?"

"WAH!" Candlehead said, putting the other fist in the air, the others following suit "Yeah! That's it!"

The racer jumped from her stool and ran to the a bag that was near the corner of the giant refrigerator.

"Now, don't go spoilin' my surprise, but ta get the extra kick! Ya need a POWER-UP!"

The candy kids gasped in shock while Ralph and the two Nicelanders looked on in confusion.

Candlehead added POWER-UPS to her food?

Well, it wasn't as if power-ups were impossible to eat. In some cases, it was ESSENTIAL for power ups to be eaten, just like Felix's pies.

But the Sugar Rush powers up were HUGE cubes of hard pixels that would only add power to the karts and the users!

Of course, this was Sugar Rush so maybe the kids were using powers up in ways the others didn't know. Either way, the little racer was going through her stash, looking for the correct power ups to use.

"Sweet Sounds? Nope! Tasty Twister! Nah-ah! Triple Cake!" Candlehead looked around, hiding THAT particular power up back into her jacket "Only for emergencies….."

The girl reached in again and after a second or so, she pulled out two power ups that were EXACTLY what she was looking for!

"AH-HAH! Perfect!"

Candlehead skipped back to the table, holding the power up over the pans of batter.

"Better put your goggles on everybody!" the racer said with a grin "It's gonna get kinda bright in here!"

Doing as they were told, the other students put on their goggles as Candlehead held the first power-up over her head. She then gave it a job squeeze, activating it.

"SHOOTING STARS!"

A rain of beautiful looking candy stars feel from the power up and rained into the pans!

"THAT makes sure the colors an' flavors stay EXTRA bright, even after bakin'!"

The girl reached for the other power-up and doing the same motions….

"RAINBOW RUCKUS!"

As soon as the power hit the cakes, the batter began to quiver, the candy children ducking in fright!

"Goodness!" Gene said, pushing Mary behind him for protection "What in the world did she do?!"

"Wait for it…." Candlehead said with a smile.

At that precise moment, all six of the colors EXPLODED from their pans, shooting up to the ceiling but instead of making a rather messy impact, the colors started to swirl around each other, creating some sort of brightly light, mini-tornado of cake batter! As everyone ducked for cover, Candlehead stood proud and not at all worried, looking at her work as it started to come together. The color continued to form into various shapes and formations, spinning around the entire room!

"Three, two, ONE!"

Finally, the waves of colors merged into one, forming into three layers of delicious cakey goodness, the colors blended together perfectly and finally coming to a stop on the baking pan.

Fully cooked and warm!

"An' THAT is how ya make a RAINBOW TOWER CAKE!" Candlehead said gleefully.

Everyone looked at the cake, in awe at how wonderfully it had turned out. Ralph stepped forward, clapping his huge hands together and soon Mary followed. Then the candy kids clapped and cheered as well!

Gene on the other hand was still trying to take in what had exactly happened.

Candlehead had made some batter and somehow, SOMEHOW, she was able to make a cake without baking it in an oven and it came out PERFECTLY measured, PERFECTLY stacked, and perfectly….TASTY looking!

Her methods were unorthodox….but at least she could get the job done.

"Wow!" the Nicelander said "Think you can do something like that for fifty plus people?!"

Candlehead nodded, "YUP! An' even more than that!"

Once things had settled down, Candlehead allowed the candy children to decorate the cake as she talked to the others.

"Oooh, thank you so much for lettin' me help!" the girl said as she once again hugged the Nicelanders, a tad too tightly as usual.

"Thank you for stepping up!" Mary said happily "I'm sure everyone would enjoy your cake!"

The girl's eyes grew as they glossed over. She took off her baking cap and put it towards her heart "My day has finally come! Tha day when people can say 'Hey, that girl is a good racer….an' she is an awesome baker as well!"

The girl became a bit lost in her dream, nibbling on the corner of her hat as she forgot that the others were there.

"Er, RIGHT." Gene said, not really sure of what to do at the moment "But considering all that, I STILL need another taste!"

"Gene, you greedy thing!" Mary said "You had TWO slice already! You can't be that hungry!"

"But deaaaaaaar! It's CAAAAKE!" Gene whined playfully.

"Yes, yes! Cake! You're going to turn INTO cake if you keep eating it like that!" Mary said, pulling Gene from the kitchen "Besides, Candlehead gave us plenty to take home so don't you DARE try to eat it all here!"

"It's okay Ms. Nicelander Mary! If ya wanted ta have tha recipe, it's in one of my cook books! Ya can borrow it if ya want ta!" Candlehead said with a smile.

"Ah, don't worry about that young lady!" the mayor said with a smug grin "I think I've been able to memorize each and EVERY step you used to create that cake!"

"Buuuut, what if ya wanna try something' else? There are other recipes in there ya know!" the girl replied.

"Hmmmm, I guess you do have a point…." Gene said, thinking for a moment "Okay, if it's alright with you, we'll borrow that book!"

"Great!" said the candle-headed racer "Just lemme run in an-!"

"I can get it!" Gene said "Just tell me where it is!"

"It's on the shelf above tha window!" Candlehead pointed back towards the kitchen "Ya can't miss it! IT'S HUGE!"

The little Nicelander ran inside the kitchen looking around for the book.

"She said it was big so…."

He looked up, spying a rather nice sized book right where Candlehead said she had put it. Judging from the way it was decorated, the mayor had a good feeling that he had found what he was looking for.

"Excellent!" the man said, going closer to the shelf.

As he approached however, he was met once again by the realization that he was running into trouble, most likely because the shelf was a good FOUR FEET above him. The man growled as he looked up, seeing the book perched above him as if it were mocking him.

"Darn it….it's always something about my HEIGHT!"

Gene stretched, not even getting close to the book. He tried again, making no further progress.

Time for jumping!

With each jump, Gene let out a ping but despite all his efforts, he still couldn't' reach the book. He huffed, running out of breath from jumping so much.

"Okay, this is ridiculous! There has to be a way I can get this!"

Wait, what did Candlehead use to help him at the table again?

A chair!

The mayor snapped his fingers as he ran towards the table, picking up the chair. Although it elevated him, it still wasn't enough to lift him towards the book.

"GAH! Is this some sort of JOKE?!"

Gene looked about, trying to see if he could use anything else to help him and as he turned, his eyes went to the sack of power up the racer had been using earlier in her demonstration.

They looked tall enough!

But was it such a good idea?

"Oooh, on one hand it would make things easier…." Gene said, biting his lips "But what if one of those things go off on me?"

Of course, it DID take some effort for Candlehead to activate him so the weight of a Nicelander wouldn't be nearly enough to break them open.

At least that's what he HOPED for.

The Nicelander hopped off the stool and went to the bag, gathering up a large armful of power ups and stacking them atop each other. With three under his feet, Gene finally had the perfect elevation to grab the book.

"Got it!"

Things couldn't have been that simple.

It's never simple with Gene!

Gene began to turn to hop off the stack but as he did, he felt something slip under him. The book still in his arms, the Nicelander let out a yelp, feeling the forces of gravity pulling him backwards.

"W-WHOA! Please don't fall! PLEASE DON'T-!"

He fell.

Letting out his trademark 'NYAAAAGH!', the mayor took a tumble backwards and as he landed, he land RIGHT atop the bag of power-ups!

"OOF!"

If there was something that Gene was desperately trying NOT to do, it was THAT! Who knew what could happen if he activated some of those things! Still reeling a bit from his fall, the little man was about to find out.

"Urgh, that was SMART of me….." he groaned.

There were several flashes from underneath the man, the Nicelander twitching a bit in shock. He looked down, able to roll a bit off the pile as he saw four power ups in particular starting to activate. He sprang to his feet, the light growing brighter.

"Aw, CR-!"

"K-K-KI-KING S-1001-10011110-!"

As if the situation couldn't get any worse, the power ups began to glitch due to the massive influx of all four activating at the same time. As the light grew, Gene could only look in horror at what he had done but before he could move….

"ERROR. ERROR. DATA OVERLOAD."

The power ups EXPLODED in a great wave of light, engulfing him as the massive influx of data began to go into his code. The man's eyes glitched over, binary running through them but he was unable to move, all thoughts and processes frozen as the light continued to shine around him! But as quickly as it began it stopped, the light returning to the broken remains of the code boxes before the pieces dissipated into pixels, fading away. Gene was left frozen, his eyes still glitching over but after a glitch or two he found that he could once again function, the man letting out a yelp as he looked around.

"What the-!?" he said, shaking a bit.

He was still in the bakery and for some reason the book was on the floor.

"Did I drop this?" the man said as he bent over for the thing, his mind still trying to piece together whatever had happened "Huh! I don't REMEMBER it falling out of my hands. I….I don't even remember climbing down off the chair!"

He then looked down, seeing the empty power up bag on the floor but for some reason the fabric of the bag looked scorched, as if something had burned it. The man picked it up, inspecting it, still clueless as to what had happened.

"Odd..." he said "Wasn't this full a moment ago?"

Suddenly, a loud buzzing-like noise echoed in Gene's ear, the man flinching from the sudden sound.

"W-what in the arcade is THAT?!" the man said, feeling a bit of a shock moving up his spine.

"Mr. Mayor Gene!" Candlehead called from outside "Is everything alright?"

"GAH!" the man said as he jumped, the noise and the shock disappearing. He cleared his throat, trying his best to sound as if things were still fine and dandy as he walked outside "I-I found the book, young lady! Sorry that it took so long!"

"Good!" Candlehead waved "I'm sure you'll find LOTSA good stuff in there you'll wanna try!"

And with that, the three visitors from Fix-it-Felix Jr. said their good-byes and made the trek back home. During the entire trip, Gene could not get rid of the growing pit of worry he felt in his stomach, clutching onto the book.

"Gene?" Mary asked in a concerned voice "Are you alright? You've been nothing but silent since we left!"

Gene forced a laugh as he blushed a bit, trying his best to reassure his love "I'm fine dear! Just….just a little tired, that's all!"

Meanwhile at the bakery, Candlehead began the task of cleaning up, the little girl humming away like a humming bird as she darted to and fro.

"Another successful class!" the girl hummed to herself, putting a finishing shine to one of the cake pans.

"Hey C-Butt!" Vanellope waved as she let herself in, a broad grin on her face "How did things go?"

"They went just fine, Nelly!" the other racer smile "An' guess what?! Mr. Mayor Gene an' Ms. Nicelander Mary want me ta bake their weddin' cake!"

"Whoa! That's AWESOME, Candles! Have ya decided what cake you're gonna make?"

"Not yet, but after tha lil demonstration I gave, they might go with my famous Rainbow Tower Cake!"

"Aw, sweet!" Vanellope said, feeling hungry already "Well, I hope ya have a good time! Bakin' for a weddin' sounds like a huge honor!"

The candle-headed racer just couldn't hold back her excitement, squealing in delight as she hopped about on her toes.

"I know, I KNOW! I can't wait!"

"So that means we better load up on the Sugar Stars and Rainbow power-ups, right?"

"Of course! Wouldn't want ta run out, would we?" the flame-headed racer said as she skipped to her bag only to stop once she reached it. Vanellope looked over to the girl, scratching her head.

"Hey, C-Butt? Ya okay?"

"That's odd…." Candlehead said as she looked through her bag.

"Hmm? Somethin' wrong?"

"I was SURE I had some power-ups in this bag…." The little racer said in confusion "But now? It looks like someone activated 'em all!"

"Hmm, musta been really important for someone ta just up an' leave with 'em." Vanellope said, with a laugh "Ah well, it's not like they would have lasted long anyway!"

"Hey, if someone had activated 'em, we'd be able ta tell!" Candlehead said "But oh well. It's not like I needed 'em today anyway! I just hope no one starts trouble with 'em!"

"Really" asked Vanellope, putting her arms behind her head "From tha way ya say it, sounds like they're really important!"

"Eh, I was gonna save 'em for another class about how ta make those super huge doughnut floaties! But I guess I can save it for another class!" the candleheaded racer said with a smile.

Vanellope thought for a second; super huge doughnut floaties? Like the ones used normally used when people went swimming? The raven-haired racer let out a gasp as she went after Candlehead.

"C-Butt, you don't mean-?!"

* * *

"So what do you think?" Mary said, snuggling up against her fiancé as they lay in bed "Did you want to go ahead with that rainbow cake or something else? It's up to you!"

Gene was much too worried to even hear what Mary had to say, the man just staring ahead, his mind filled with all sorts of dread.

"Gene?" the woman said, snapping her fingers in front of the man's face "Gene, are you there?"

"HMM?!" Gene said, turning towards Mary and noticing the cheeky grin on her face "I-I'm FINE, just….."

"Just a little tired?"

"Kind of…" Gene said, looking down at the foot of the bed, "But there's something else…."

"Oh?" the woman said, moving a tad closer "Then stop hiding it! Tell me!"

Gene tried to muster up whatever courage he had to tell Mary what had happened in Sugar Rush but the more he thought about it, the sillier it began to sound in his head. How in the world could he explain that he was trying to reach for a book but then a second later, it was almost as if he forgotten anything that happened in-between?

"You know, it can wait until morning…."

"If you say so…." Mary said, giving Gene a kiss on the cheek "But you know, if is bothering you that much you can always tell me!"

"I know, I know. But let's….let's just go to sleep, alright?" Gene said warmly, turning off the table lamp.

It didn't take long for the two Nicelanders to fall asleep, Mary cuddling onto Gene tightly. As usual, Gene was out like a light and in such a deep state of slumber NOTHING could get him at this point.

Riiiiiiii~

The man twitched a bit, turning a bit.

Riiiiiiiiiiiii~

The man tried to stay asleep but as the noise grew louder in his ear, he found himself jolted from his slumber. He looked around groggily, Mary slipping from his grasp.

"H-hello?"

Nothing.

The Nicelander slowly got up, looking around to see if there were anyone inside the apartment but again, there was nothing.

"G-Gee. I wonder what's this noise I keep hearing?" the man yawned, stretching as he stood in front of the bed.

Glitch!

A slight shock went up Gene's spine, the man yelping a bit but he quickly recovered, putting his hands on his arms, goose bumps rising on his skin.

Probably just a chill in the air.

He looked down, seeing Mary sleeping peaceful besides him. The sight of his love put a bit of ease in the man and whatever fear he felt before soon faded.

"There's nothing to worry about…." The man said as he returned to bed, falling asleep once again.


	3. Chapter 3- One Small Change

Chapter Three- One Small Change

"Gene….GENE!" Mary said in a playful tone, giving Gene a shove "Wake up, it's time for work!"

"Mmph…." The mayor grumbled, his face still buried in his pillow "Fif moof minefs…."

Without saying another word, Mary grabbed a hold of the sheets and gave them a good YANK, sending her fiancé ROLLING out of the bed to land on the floor with a whomp.

"What was that? 'You wanted me to help you get out of bed'? SURE!"

Gene slowly rose from the floor, giving his still smiling love an unimpressed look. Without saying another word, he grabbed a pillow and threw it on the floor, once again trying to fall back to sleep.

"Aw, you big grumpy face!" Mary twittered, running over to the other side of the bed "Come on! Don't make me ROLL you to the shower!"

"Alright, I'm up! I'M UP!" the man said, chuckling a bit as he stood up and yawned, stretching his tired limbs "I have to admit, since you moved in you're the only alarm clock I need!"

"Don't get too comfy, Mr.!" Mary said with a snicker "Next time, I'm flipping the mattress over!"

The man couldn't help but chuckle at the playful tone of his fiancé but even she had to admit that since the two moved in together, Gene had been much more cheerful. Everyone agreed; this was the change that Gene needed after thirty years of being a grump! After a quick shower, Gene went to his closet to pick out his usual work attire.

White shirt, blue cardigan, black pants, blue tie.

Nothing could ever beat that!

The man hummed to himself as he got dressed, checking over himself in the mirror.

"Honey, I have breakfast ready!" Mary called from the dining room.

"Be right there, dear!" the man said in a chipper voice, beginning the process of buttoning up his dress shirt.

Well, he BEGAN the process but as he moved towards his middle, he noticed that something was a tad off.

"Hmm?" the man murmured in a puzzled tone "That's strange…."

Gene took notice that the middle button to his shirt seemed to fit around him rather snuggly, as did some of the other buttons. That was odd; nothing like this had ever happened before. The man shrugged it off as he reached for his cardigan, pulling it onto his frame as he once again began to button it up

And yet again, there was that snug feeling.

Gene let out a little huff as he looked down at himself, his hands brushings against his sides. He didn't seem any different from the previous night. Maybe it was just something in the detergent he used.

"Gene? Your breakfast is getting cold!" Mary said.

The little mayor was about to take a step forward when he felt another chill go up his spine, a split-second glitch coming over him again.

"Brrr! There's that feeling again!" the man thought to himself, shaking his head a bit.

After breakfast, the two Nicelanders began their routine to prepare for the first quarter drop of the day.

"Are you sure you have all your pies ready?" asked Gene, going to and from from every room.

Mary laughed as she watched the busy Gene skittering around like some sort of ant "Gene, I told you! I have everything in order!"

"I just want to make sure things go smoothly!" the man said, walking up to his fiancé.

"Dear, I'm right next door! There's no need to fuss like this!"

"I know, I know!" Gene said, getting a little nervous "I-I just want to make sure that people don't see the change but if they do, they might think something is wrong, and if something is wrong, Litwak might try to unplug the game and if we get unplugged, it'll be my fault and-!"

And with that, Mary kissed Gene, finally stopping his rambling "It's going to be FINE, okay?"

Gene sighed as he calmed down, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Thanks…."

*POP!*

Both Nicelanders let out squeaks once they heard a sharp popping noise from nearby. Gene rubbed the front of his cardigan, noticing a hole near the middle. As he looked down, he noticed that a button was missing.

And it was laying nearly half a foot from where he stood.

"Now how did that-?" the mayor said as he retrieved the thing "How did THAT happen?!"

"Hmm, maybe there was a lose seam…." Mary said, looking at the tear.

"Great! The game is about to start and my clothes are starting to come apart around me!" the mayor growled in frustration, fiddling with the open button hole but Mary smacked his hands away gently.

"You're going to make the thing worse if you keep messing with it!"

"Urgh, where's Nel! She can fix this!"

Mary was about to say something when she heard the quarter alert sound.

"Gotta go, sweetie! Maybe we can take it to Nel after work!" the woman said as she dashed off. Gene hurried off his spot, waiting the inevitable.

"I'M GONNA WRECK IT!"

BAM!

Ralph's massive fist broke through the window, grabbing onto Gene as always.

"NYAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"How far do you think you can make it?" whispered Ralph.

Gene continued to flail as he looked towards the player but his eyes made a quick glance towards Ralph.

"Easy ten yards. UNLESS you think you're getting kinda rusty!"

Ralph smirked as he then HURLED Gene through the air, the Nicelander screaming as he went sailing off-screen. The wrecker then made his way up the building but as he began his daily routine, a small note popped into his head.

"Was it just me or did ol' Genie feel a tad heavier than normal?"

Some distance away in the woods, Gene lay face down in the grass, his head still swimming from landing on the ground. With a moan, he picked himself up.

"Urgh, maybe I should stop egging Ralph on! Oof!" the man said before stumbling back onto the ground. Once he was able to find his groundings again he looked up, taking note in some of the markings that he and Ralph made to measure the distance he was thrown. To his surprise, he found that he had landed several yards OFF from his usual spot!

"And to think I was just joking about Ralph getting rusty!" the man said as he arched an eyebrow.

The Nicelander was just about to turn back when a sound began to echo in his ear.

Riiiiiiiiii~

There was that sound again.

The man put a hand to his ear, wondering if it was just something in the forest but to his dismay, the sound seemed to grow stronger.

"W-what in the arcade-?!"

By now, the Nicelander began to feel a dull throb on his temples, almost as if he were coming down with a small migraine. The man moaned a bit as he placed his hands to his head, rubbing his temples.

"Come on, I don't have time for this! I have a job to do!"

Glitch!

The man let out a little yelp as another shock went up his spine but unlike the previous ones, this one was much stronger, a strange feeling going through every inch of his body from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. To his relief, once the shock was over so was his headache and the ringing but that did nothing to put the now nervous Nicelander at ease. Once again, he looked down at himself but nothing seemed off, aside from the fact that there were still blades of grass in his hair from his landing.

"O-Okay Genie, pull it together!" the man said as he trotted back towards the apartment to start handing out pies.

After another busy day, the Nicelanders started their task of cleaning up around the apartment but as Gene started to notice his suit had taken much more a beating than he first thought.

"Can't say that these bonus rounds have been that good on my dry cleaning bill…" the man said with a sigh as he walked upstairs but as he reached the apartment, he found that Mary had gotten there first, a delightful surprise if there were any.

"Hello dear!" Mary said sweetly as she pulled a cookie sheet from the oven "Enjoy your daily workout?"

"Heh, what can I say?" the Nicelander said smugly "You get in pretty good shape with all the jogging I do!"

The woman gave her lover a snide grin as she put the cookies onto a plate "Really now? From the way you button popped this morning, I think your tummy speaks differently!"

Gene blushed deeply as he gave Mary a pout; she ALWAYS knew were to land one.

"Ha, ha darling…" the man said, his hands subconsciously placed on his tummy "Well, if I AM gaining weight, which may I remind you I AM NOT, its only because you keep tempting me with such delicious sweets!" the mayor smirked as he took a cookie from the plate in a teasing manner before munching it in front of Mary.

"Oh no, don't you DARE go blaming me for this!" Mary said as she began to push Gene out the door "Now go and see Nel about that button! The sooner you get done, the sooner you can come to dinner!"

* * *

"A busted button? Is that ALL, Genie?" asked Nel with a snicker as she got out her sewing kit.

"Yeah…" the mayor said sheepishly "I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but knowing me, I'd probably sew it onto the wrong side."

"Or onto your hand?" Norwood laughed from the couch, his pipe in his mouth and a book in his hand. Gene shot an evil glare at his 'friend' but he knew it was best not to get into any confrontations tonight.

At least not in Nel's apartment; she could kick both their butts.

"Okay boys, settle down." Nel said as she took Gene's cardigan "Especially YOU, Red."

"Er, changin' the subject…." Norwood said with a smirk "How are things goin' along with ya an' Mary? Was tha move as good as ya thought it was?"

Gene gave Norwood a devilish grin "Jealous?"

The red-headed Nicelander blushed brightly as he shot back a glare at the mayor "Remind me again why I would even WANT ta be jealous of ya?"

"Oh, I can think of a FEW things!" Gene chuckled, having fun poking at Norwood for once "But if you wanted to know, things are going along SWIMMINGLY. I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"That's wonderful!" Nel smiled as she went to work on Gene's button "I can't wait for the weddin' by the way!"

"Nor can I wait to see the dress you and Mary designed!" Gene smiled "I mean, unless you want to give me a sneak peek?"

"No, no, no Genie!" Nel said in a haughty tone, flicking the mayor on his nose "It's bad luck and you know it!"

"Aw, give him a break, Nel!" Norwood chuckled, blowing a few smoke rings from his pipe "Ya know Gene starts WHININ' if ya don't give him what he wants!"

Gene pouted "Do not…"

"Nope! I can't jinx it!" the purple Nicelander said as she placed the mayor's cardigan back on him.

"Nel, I am sure nothing will JINX us if you let me take one small peek, so if you please-!"

"Hmmm…." The little Nicelander said as she inspected Gene "Genie, come here."

"What?"

"Lemme take this back for a second. It seems like your cardigan needs to be taken out completely!"

"What? I thought I only needed to fix the button!" the man said

"Seems like a button was the least of your problems!" the woman said as she took out her measuring tape "Nope! This thing is nearly half a size too small for you! No wonder you were losing buttons!"

"I guess it's to be expected…." Norwood chimed in, giving his friend a quick glance "Considerin' that Mary's moved into his apartment now, I'm sure the guy going to have to take out ALL of his clothin'!"

Nel shot Norwood a sarcastic look "Riiiight, says the man who would eat nothing but red velvet goodies if no one stopped him, isn't that right Boo?"

The red-headed Nicelander blushed deeply as he raised his book to his face, more smoke billowing from his pipe.

"Don't worry Big Gene!" the seamstress said as she took his cardigan "I'll have this done for you in no time!"

"Yeah, an' if ya have anythin' else ta bring in, I'm sure Nel can take it out a few dozen sizes!"

And with that, a pillow made contact with Norwood's head, the man still smiling nonetheless.

"NORY. NO. STOP."

After his visit with Nel, Gene made his way back to the apartment but upon his return he found his precious Mary nowhere to be found.

"Hmm, wonder where she went off to?"

No matter, he might as well help prepare dinner anyway. It didn't take long for the man to make himself busy, cutting up some vegetables for the meal.

GLITCH!

"Ai!" the man cried, dropping the cutting knife onto the floor and putting a hand to his temple. The once minor pain soon began to increase, as if it were rippling throughout his entire body.

"What is it with these headaches!?" the man asked, gritting his teeth as he attempted to force the pain back, only to be met with another short glitch, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.

That was it; he HAD to do something about this!

Gene hobbled over to the bathroom, going to the medicine cabinet as he fetched a bottle of Aspirin, filling a glass with water.

"I just need two…" the man said in a shaky, throwing the pills back before swallowing the water in one gulp. Breathing out, he looked at himself in the mirror for a moment or two, just to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary.

Two blue eyes.

Two chubby, blushed cheeks.

One round, pink nose.

Yup, everything was in the right place and even better, his headache began to die down.

"Ah, wonderful…." The man said in relief "Nothing to get worked up over!"

The man then put the bottle back into the cabinet and as he turned to leave, he stopped.

Wait.

He usually had to stand on his tip-toes to reach that level of the shelf.

But for this little run, he hadn't done that at all!

The man turned around, his eyebrow arching a bit in curiosity. He shook his head, making his way back to his study, spying the pencil etches on the wall he had left to mark his and Mary's height the previous night. Once again, the little Nicelander stopped in his tracks, eyeing the measurements. Even though he promised Mary that he wouldn't let his height bother him anymore, there was just something about seeing the truth out before him that made the entire thing more embarrassing. Even if it was only two inches, those two inches were a GREAT number to Gene.

Or where they?

He looked around, checking to see if Mary was still out and after removing his shoes he lined himself back up against the wall, placing his hand on his head and marking the height with a pencil.

"Who am I kidding?" the man chortled to himself once he realized just how silly he was being "We're game characters! It's not like I can suddenly spring up an inch or so overnight!"

The mayor stepped away, expecting to see the new line match up with the old but to his amazement the line was not only above HIS old height….but Mary's as well.

"W-WHAT?!" the man managed to squeak out, dropping the pencil to the ground. According to the new mark-off, Gene was now three foot FIVE, a full inch taller than Mary!

But HOW!?

"This is impossible! Right?" Gene said to himself, putting a hand to his head "I mean, we're all programmed to be one size our entire game lives! It's not like we can suddenly start growing out of nowhere!"

The man stopped, looking back at the marks on the wall.

"Can we?"

After a moment or two he began to calm down, and once he thought the situation over a smile began to form on his face. This was all too good to be true! After worrying so much over his height, it seemed like something, SOMETHING had happened to give him a bit of a lead.

Sure, his height change wasn't THAT dramatic but there was just something about it. In such a small way, Gene was given EXACTLY what he wanted and even he had to admit that he liked it!

But would it last?

The man leaned forward, putting his hand back atop his head to make sure he hadn't made a mistake.

Nope, he was still three foot five!

"Should I tell someone?" Gene thought to himself "I mean…this isn't something that happens NORMALLY here!"

No, better not. Wouldn't want people to get worried.

And besides, it wasn't as if it were THAT noticeable! He was still shorter than some of his other neighbors but at LEAST he had SOMETHING and that's all he wanted!

Yes, he better relish this moment while it lasted.

"Gene? I'm back!" called Mary as she walked through the door "How did things go with Nel?"

The mayor didn't say a word to his fiancé and instead embraced her in a rather tight but loving hug, nuzzling her cutely. Glad to see the man in a good mood, the little woman squirmed a bit in his grasp, getting an arm free as she patted his head.

"Aw, why so affectionate?"

"Do I really need a reason?" the man said, tickling Mary with his mustache "Let's just say my spirits have been lifted a little!"


	4. Chapter 4- Over the Top

Chapter Four- Over the Top

"Oh my goodness!" Lucy said dreamily "Here comes Mayor Gene!"

"Isn't he so regale?" twittered Meg, her long eyelashes fluttering.

"And he's so TAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!" giggled Pearl, her hands on her blushing cheeks.

Gene strolled down the hall of Niceland, relishing in the compliments and greetings he got from his neighbors but when you're so TALL and RESPECTED, would you expect anything different?

Granted, he was only TWO INCHES taller but those two inches made a rather large difference to the mayor and it seemed that everyone took notice.

The man straightened his tie and let out a chuckle as he gave his friends a wave "People, people. Control yourself!" Gene chortled "While I DO appreciate your comments, there's nothing that SPECIAL about me!"

"But Gene, you're so tall! That makes you the BEST Nicelander who was EVER programed!" Deanna gasped, surprised that Gene would be so…so HUMBLE!

Don tipped his hat up towards Gene "You ARE the CAPTAIN of our crew and I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"I wish I could be cool as you!" whined Norwood, the red-head huffing a bit.

"Oh NORY, do SHUT UP!" Nel grinned brightly, patting the man on the cheeks "Gene is here and I want to hear EVERYTHING he has to say!"

The mayor was amused to see his neighbors talking back and forth amongst themselves, a strange thing considering the mayor wasn't too fond of the gossip that sometimes made its way around the game. But considering they were talking about much they admired how TALL their mayor was, he would let this slide.

"Ooooooh Geeeeene….." cooed the delicate voice of a certain Nicelander in pink.

The mayor turned to see his beloved Mary standing behind him, the woman dressed in a radiant dress, a pie in her hand and a flirty look in her eyes. Her cheeks blushed brightly as she looked up at her fiancé.

"I thought a certain someone would like his favorite…" the woman said, walking up to her love and holding the pie before him "Blueberry!"

Gene smirked as he gazed down at his love, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, the woman tickled by her love's mustache "Dear? As much as I love your sweets, there's something I love more…."

"And what would THAT be?" Mary whispered, blushing more than ever.

Gene took the pie from Mary's hand and without saying another word, simply handed it over to a bewildered Tony, the man not sure what to do with the pastry. The mayor moved closer to Mary, his lips almost touching her.

"You….." he said in an amorous tone, sweeping the woman off her feet, Mary letting out a surprised laugh as her feet left the floor. She placed her hands under Gene's chin, squishing his cheeks cutely.

"Oh Gene! Who knew that being so TALL was so wonderful!"

The two slowly moved closer towards each other, a kiss imminent.

So close, so close….

* * *

Briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

The clanging of the alarm clock bells woke Gene from his wonderful dream but frankly, the man didn't mind at all. On any other day, the man would have fussed and grumped his way through the morning but today he was in such a wonderful sunny mood! He sat up in bed, stretching his limbs and feeling a surge of energy washing through him. He smiled warmly as he looked to his side, Mary still asleep soundly.

"Ah, my dear. I can already tell that there will be big things in our future!" Gene chuckled to himself, leaning over and kissing the woman on her forehead before walking into the kitchen. Mary stirred a bit, her eyes opening slightly.

"D-darling?"

Gene made this way into the kitchen, his spirits so high that he almost couldn't contain them!

"This is great!" the man thought "I can actually REACH things now! No more standing on my tip-toes, no more useless jumping! Everything thing is in my reach!"

Of course, Gene knew he couldn't tell the others about his sudden growth, less they get suspicious of what was actually happening to the little blue Nicelander. He was just so content in being a little taller that most of the worries he had were nothing but small potatoes now.

"Heh, small potatoes."

Gene had to chuckle to himself over his own joke as he continued to cook breakfast, humming a tune as he did so. The smell of the breakfast soon made its way into the bed room, waking Mary from her slumber.

"Mmm, Gene?" she yawned as she walked towards the kitchen "Y-you're up rather early!"

"And why wouldn't I be?" the man chuckled, laying out the final dish on the rather impressive breakfast spread he had prepared "Now, won't you come and join me for a little breakfast?"

"A LITTLE?" the woman said in surprise "Goodness, honey. Is that for US or the entire apartment?"

Gene smirked as the pink Nicelander "Aww, what's wrong with having a hearty breakfast like this now and again?"

Mary pinched Gene's cheeks, the man still smiling "Careful Gene, you'll be as big as the apartments if you keep this up!"

The mayor couldn't help but snicker at the thought; if only she knew. If only.

After breakfast, it was time once again to get ready for work. While Mary was getting her stack of pies ready, Gene looked himself over in the mirror just to make sure everything was in place. Nel's alteration to his suit came in handy and this time everything fit perfectly!

Yup, things were going JUST fine for the mayor of Niceland. He adjusted his tie, smiling to himself in the mirror.

"Heh, don't let this go to your head, Big Gene…." A pointless jester all things considered.

Gene prepared to walk out of the room but he hadn't taken one step when…

GLITCH!

The mayor let out a startled gasp, twitching as he felt the twinge of another glitch running up his back.

"W-what the-?!" the man hissed to himself as he looked down at his glitching hands, the mesh showing through for a split second.

GLITCH!

As quickly as it began, it ended.

He turned quickly, seeing that Mary was thankfully facing the other way and didn't seem to notice his reaction. He sighed, looking himself over in the mirror again. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary from a first glance. His suit still fit and other than the worried look that was starting to form on his face, nothing had changed, at least at first glance.

"I-is it starting up again?" the man asked himself, placing a hand on the top of his head.

"Dear? Are you ready?" called Mary.

"O-oh, of course I am!" replied Gene, flinching a bit as he scurried out of the room.

"Good!" Mary said, going in and kissing Gene on the lips "Don't let Ralph throw you too far!"

"I-I won't!" the mayor said, a worried grin on his face.

The Nicelander in pink made her way back to the other apartment to get into place but as she did, something came to her from the back of her mind. She stopped mid-walk, looking back towards the apartment.

"Did….did I really STAND on my toes to kiss him?"

Mary looked back towards the apartment but after a second or two of pondering she shrugged off her suspension; must have been something else.

If only she knew how panicked Gene was at the moment. The man ran towards the study, lining up with the measurements on the wall and once he made a mark, he took a step back.

Three foot SEVEN.

He was taller than Don now and HE was the biggest of the Nicelanders!

Well, he WAS. Now Gene beat him by a full inch!

It was at that moment that Gene started to feel things were teetering a bit. Even if it were only two inches, if he kept on growing it wouldn't be long before someone NOTICED that the Nicelander was no longer his standard compact size!

"Pretty soon, I WON'T be able to hide it!" the man gulped, feeling a sense of dread coming on.

Or was that his sense of Ralph's fist coming through the window?

"I'M GONNA WRECK IT!"

Gene let out a scream, forgetting that he was on the clock. He quickly ran over to the wrecker's hand and hopped in, Ralph gripping him tighter than normal for some reason.

"OOF! HEY!" Gene growled, scowling up at Ralph.

"The heck were ya?!" Ralph said, trying to keep his voice down.

"I…I had something to take care of!" the Nicelander replied, once again trying not to break character too much.

"Can ya at least make sure it doesn't interfere with the game? Another second longer, the kid would have thought we froze-up or somethin'!"

"DON'T you blame ME for this!" Gene growled "I-NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Well, there went Gene.

* * *

Suffice to say, it was NOT a good game day. By the time the day was through, Gene was EXHAUSTED, his entire body sore and his head pounding.

"Urgh, this is my lucky day isn't it?" he groaned, cracking his aching back.

"Hey Gene!"

The mayor jumped upon hearing Ralph's voice calling to him. He turned, giving the wrecker a look that more or less told him he wasn't in the mood for anything right now.

"Okay, Big Gene. Is somethin' up?" the wrecker growled, crossing his arms against his huge chest.

Gene put a hand to his temple "Young man, please don't test me now…."

"No, no, no!" Ralph cut in, stooping down to the man's height, glaring "You've been actin' weird all day! Something's up an' I know it!"

Gene returned Ralph's angry look, not even caring that he was a total mess, leaves still in his hair and a stick in the back of his collar. He balled his little fist, a small growl coming from him.

"Look, its…its PERSONAL! And right now, I just need to focus to make sure that it doesn't get any WORSE!"

WORSE?

What in the arcade was happening? From the way Gene had put it, it was almost as if something REALLY bad was happening. Ralph stood up, looking down at the peeved mayor, calming down a bit.

"Gene…." Ralph said in a calm tone "Ya know if you're in trouble, I WOULD help ya, right?"

Gene was a little surprised to see the honesty in the man's face and try as he might, he couldn't stay angry at Ralph, at least not anymore.

"C'mon, don't do this….." Ralph sighed, shaking his head.

Feeling a tad nervous, Gene knew that after his last glitch he HAD to tell the truth and considering that Ralph was there…

"O-Okay, I'll tell you but-!"

Gene looked around, making sure the others were still minding their own business. He then pointed upwards, Ralph not fully understanding the gesture. The taller man looked up, his eyes meeting with the ceiling.

"Somethin'g wrong with the ceiling?"

"NO!" Gene snapped "The PENTHOUSE!"

"Something's wrong with the PENTHOUSE?"

"No, let's g-AURGH!"

Without saying another word, Gene shoved Ralph towards the elevator, forcing the man into the thing before heading up to the top floor. Once the two were there, Gene continued to push the wrecker towards the door.

"Come on! HURRY!"

"Gene, calm-OW!-down!" Ralph said, conking his head on the frame.

The Nicelander scuttled in after the wrecker, shutting the doors with a bang and running around the entire place to make sure the two were alone. Ralph could only watch the man's actions with a hint of curiosity, sitting down on the couch.

"GENE? Uh, just WHAT is it that you wanted to tell me?"

Once he had checked everything four times over, Gene stopped, peering over to Ralph with a look on his face not unlike that of a child that had been caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

"Ralph….Remember when we went to Sugar Rush?"

"Yeaaaaaaah?" the wrecker said "It was only two days ago. My memory isn't THAT bad!"

Gene continued to stand in front of Ralph, his eyes averted and his hands wringing in nervousness "U-Uh. I-I might have….have picked something up there before we left!"

Ralph was more than confused now. What was the mayor's deal? He was so terribly nervous about something but he continued to hold it back even though he obviously wanted to tell SOMEONE.

"Oookay. Ya picked up what? A stray devil-dog? A candy person?"

"NO!"

"Then what is it GENE?! I'M NOT A MIND FREAKIN' READER!" bellowed Ralph, clearly fed up with playing games.

To their luck, or perhaps Gene's misfortune, it was the wrecker's sudden outburst that led to another glitch being triggered.

GLITCH!

Ralph took a step back once he saw Gene's mesh flash for a second and expand a tad, adding two more inches to the man's height. After the little show, the Nicelander tried to get up, clumsily rolling over on his stomach and managing to stumble on his feet. The wrecker could do nothing more than look in awe, Gene placing his hands on his dizzy head.

"Urgh, I think it's getting worse!" the Nicelander groaned.

"Holy-!" Ralph said, suddenly reaching over and picking the Nicelander up by the back of his collar, inspecting him a bit.

"NYAAAAGH!"

As the Nicelander dangled in Ralph's hands, the wrecker snickered a, putting his other hand on his side "HAH! No wonder you've been a bit harder to throw! I'm so used to throwing ya when you're a bit more, well, PETITE!"

"RALPH! THIS IS SERIOUS!" Gene thrashed, kicking his stubby legs "What's happening to me?!"

"You've hit a growth spurt, obviously!" Ralph said, smugly.

"I DON'T MEAN THAT!" Gene snapped back "Wait…I mean…I MEAN THAT but I also mean WHY IS THIS HAPPENIING?!"

"You tell me…" Ralph said, putting Gene down "It was somethin' about Sugar Rush annnnnd-?"

"R-Right!" Gene said "A-After I went back into the bakery to get that book, I-"

Ralph shook his head, trying to get Gene to continue "Yes? AND?"

Gene stopped, putting his hands on his head again "I-I don't remember!"

"Aw come on, Gene! How can someone forget something that quickly?" Ralph said, leaning back on the couch.

The Nicelander was pacing about anxiously "I-I know you don't believe it, but that's what happened! It's like…I started at one place and ended up in another with no memory of anything in between! It's just-!"

Getting tired of watching the pacing Nicelander, Ralph put his finger atop the mayor's head, the man halting in fright "Gene, are ya SURE this happened in Sugar Rush?"

"WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE RALPH!?" Gene yelled, finally losing his temper "It's not like I did anything else! I didn't fiddle with my code and if someone else had, the alarm would have gone off or something!"

The wrecker looked down at Gene, seeing that the man was truly concerned and scared about what was happening to him. Ralph knew he couldn't just leave Gene in such a state but even he didn't know exactly what was going on. The only thing he could make out was that Gene came into contact with something in Sugar Rush and BOOM! He was glitching and changing size!

But if Sugar Rush had anything to do with this as Gene claimed, there was ONE person Ralph knew who could help!

"I need an expert's opinion on this!" Ralph said, getting up.

"Who?!"

"The prez of course!" the wrecker smirked as he walked out the door "Just stay here! I'll be back as soon as possible!"

"B-but!" Gene stuttered "What if I glitch again?"

"From what I could see, it only happened when ya got too worked up back there…" Ralph said, a hand to his chin "So I'd advise ya to keep cool, okay?"

Gene nodded feebly as he stumbled back onto the couch, watching Ralph as he made his way back downstairs. The mayor had never been so nervous in his life and without thinking twice, he ran over to the bar, grabbing the strongest most potent alcohol he could. He poured himself a glass, his hands shaking so bad he nearly spilled the contents on the counter.

"J-j-j-just st-st-stay calm, Genie!" the mayor said, taking a sip.

Glass one.

"Oh, when will they be here?!"

He turned towards the clock, seeing that it hadn't even been a minuet since Ralph left.

Gene breathed out, running his fingers through his hair, though this did nothing to neaten it.

"Th-this is silly! It's probably not as bad as I think it is! NOT AT ALL!"

Glass two.

The minuets began to tick away painful but there was still no sign of Ralph or Vanellope. As he waited, Gene tried his best to remain calm and thankfully, his glitching seemed to stop, at least for the moment.

This didn't help in stopping Gene from taking another drink though, the man slightly tipsy as he poured his fourth glass.

"S-seems it doesn't happen when I'm calm…." The man said with a very slight slur, pouring another drink in his glass and raising it to his lips.

"Gene?"

The man instantly spit out the drink once he heard Mary's voice, running to the door and nearly tripping into it as he did so.

"MARY?!"

"So you were here the entire time?" Mary said, a teasing look on her face.

Gene blushed brightly, stooping down just a tad to make sure Mary wasn't the wiser of his new height adjustment.

"S-sorry, love. I-I just needed a break after today! It was rough on me!"

The pink Nicelander looked off to the side, noticing the many bottles on the counter. She turned towards her fiancé, arching her eyebrow, "Yes, dear. OF COURSE."

The woman then grabbed Gene by his collar, pulling him out of the room, "Dear, I think it would be better if you had some tea or something! You know what happens when you go overboard!"

"B-But, Ralph an' Vanellope are gonna be here soon!" Gene said, stumbling a bit.

Mary didn't even look back as she continued to pull Gene "I'll have someone tell them your back in the apartment!"

The mayor pulled back as best he could, "I-I think it would be better if I stayed here!"

Feeling the resistance from Gene, Mary quickly scampered behind him and began pushing him forwards towards the elevator "Mayor Nicelander Gene! With as many drinks as you've chugged, you are in NO condition to talk to ANYONE! Now get downstairs before I ROLL you down there!"

Gene tried to fight back but was a tad too inebriated by now, his foot slipping as he went right into the elevator "But-! I-! PLEASE?!"

"GENE!"

The mayor whimpered, realizing that there was no escaping Mary. The woman continued to drag him as they arrived on their floor and once they were in the apartments, Mary shoved the mayor onto the couch not taking an eye off him.

"There! SIT!"

Gene nodded as he peered up at Mary, worry still in his eyes "Y-yes, dear…"

"Honestly Gene, you've been acting weird all day! Is there something bothering you?"

Gene turned, looking over at his fiancé from the kitchen with a rather guilty look on his face "I-if there were something wrong, YOU would be the FIRST person to know!"

Liar.

"Are you sure?" the woman said as she brought over the tea pot, pouring Gene a steaming cup "From the way you were throwing back drinks, SOMETHING was on your mind!"

Gene held onto the tea cup, his hands still shaking "I-I-I said I'm fine!"

Yeah, he needed tea.

The two sat in silence, the only sound in the room was that of the clock, ticking away the seconds. Gene glanced at it from the side, his hands still trembling as he took another weak sip of his tea. The wait for the wrecker and the racer was getting more than painful now for the poor mayor who feared that he could start glitching in front of Mary at any second.

"Do you like the tea?" the pink Nicelander said in a soft voice.

"Y-Yes! I-it's great!" Gene replied, the sides of his mustache twitching "M-M-Meg made this right?"

"Mm-hmm!" smiled Mary "She made a new brew so I just had to-!"

"HEY, I KNOW! WHY DON'T I GO WASH THE DISHES!" Gene suddenly shouted, springing up from his seat.

"But Gene, the sink is clean!" replied a shocked Mary.

Gene looked around, taking a tea dish and dropping it on the carpet.

*Clink*

"NOT ANYMORE!"

And with that, the Nicelander dashed over to the sink. He wasn't really sure HOW washing the dishes would distract Mary but maybe if he were far enough away she wouldn't notice anything off about him.

"Gene?! What in the world is going on with you?!" the woman said angrily, stomping over to the kitchen.

"I-I told you it's nothing"! Gene squeaked, not even taking his eyes off the single dish he was scrubbing.

"Oh? Well, this is a STARK change from how you were acting this morning, MISTER! First you're all rays and sunshine and now you're acting even worse than Roy!"

Gene's brows furrowed a bit as he growled "I am NOT acting like ROY, DEAR!"

"Then tell me, what's wrong?!" the pink Nicelander shouted.

Gene turned towards his fiancé, looking a tad annoyed as his cheeks flushed red "L-Look, I'm sure once Ralph and Vanellope come back, w-we can discuss it then!"

Mary scowled at her fiancé, grabbing him rather roughly by the shoulder "NO! I want answers and I want them NOW!"

"Mary, PLEASE!" Gene said, feeling even more nervous, gripping the dish tighter.

"GENE!"

"MARY, PLEASE!"

"YOU HEARD ME MISTER! TELL ME!"

At that last outburst, Gene felt the dish SHATTER in his hands from all the pressure he applied to it!

"OW!"

Mary let out a gasp, seeing the man grab his right hand as he dropped the broken pieces of china in the sink.

"Honey!"

The mayor winced in pain as he looked down, seeing a small cut on his hand. He let out a defeated moan, walking away from the sink.

"Sorry about the dish…."

"Forget the dish!" Mary said as she led Gene back to the couch "You're hurt!"

The man snickered, trembling a bit "You have NO idea…."

The woman ran off for the bathroom, grabbing the medical kit as she quickly went to work with her fiancés' injury.

"L-Look, I'm sorry I got you so worked up…" Mary muttered, wiping the cut with a cleaning pad "But you've really got me worried! First you run upstairs when work is over, then you won't even tell me whatever is bothering you!"

Mary looked down, a bit of sadness coming over her "I mean, it's not like you don't trust me with something…."

Gene sighed, watching Mary wrap his hand "Sweetie, it's not that. It's just…." He looked over to the side, trying to figure out the best way to tell her what was wrong with him without making her TOO concerned "Look, I just don't want you to worry yourself over me if something happened…."

"Gene…" Mary said, putting her hands on the man's shoulders "I love you. Of course I'm going to be worried if something happens to you! I care for you!"

There was something in the woman's tone of voice that seemed to let Gene know that things were going to be okay, at least for now anyway. He was still unsure of what her reaction would be once she learned the truth but he knew it wasn't right to keep things hidden from her.

He had to tell her.

"O-Okay…." The mayor stuttered "But please promise me you won't….you won't flip out when I tell you the truth!"

"Dear, you're making this sound like you've done something TERRIBLE!"

"TERRIBLE….might be a good way to describe this if I don't figure out what's happening…."

Mary arched an eyebrow, "Sweetie?"

The Nicelander prepare to say something.

How he wanted to say something.

But instead, there came that feeling again.

"URK!"

The man fell to his knees as the headache and the shocks up his spine returned.

"Urgh! Not now, NOT NOW!" he cringed, trying in vain to force back the feelings.

Mary let out a yelp, terrified at the man's sudden collapse "GENE?!"

The mayor remained on the floor, more than a little scared to find that the effects of whatever was happening to him were becoming much more painful. Mary quickly moved to the floor and put an arm around her love, hoping to reach him somehow.

"Gene, what's hap-?!"

"D-DON'T' TOUCH ME!" Gene choked, pushing Mary away for her own safety.

GLITCH!

Gene felt his mesh expanding outwards but it didn't stop at one glitch! Another followed and then another, the man in far too much pain to realize that Mary had witnessed the entire thing, her eyes huge and her mouth agape though now screams were able to come out.

GLITCH!

GLITCH!

Even though it felt like ages, the glitching stopped much to the mayor's relief. He put his hands on the floor, breathing out hard but forced himself to get back on his feet.

"Is there any good reason why it has to HURT like that?!" he growled in pain, his head still swimming.

"O-O-OH!" Mary stuttered, shaking in her heels.

Gene blinked in confusion, turning and looking DOWN at the stunned Mary, the woman lost for words at what she was looking at but as hard as it was to believe, what was happening was REAL! This was no illusion!

"G-G-GENE!?"

The man gasped, finally noticing just how BIG he had gotten in such a short time. He was no longer a few INCHES taller than Mary….

HE WAS AT LEAST TWO FEET TALLER THAN MARY!

"N-now d-don't panic!" Gene stuttered, reaching out for the frightened Nicelander. Mary shook horribly as Gene approached her, unable to find any sort of reaction to what she was witnessing.

All except for one.

Her eyes still on Gene, the woman's usually rosy face went pale, her eyes rolling up a bit and not a second later…

*FWUMP!*

Down she went!

The Nicelander in pink fell on her back, out cold, as a pixelated swirl formed over her head.

To say that Gene was panicked would be an understatement.

"GAH! MARY!"


	5. Chapter 5-Personal

Chapter Five- Personal

"Are ya SURE Gene was SURE that it was somethin' he encountered back at my place, just ta be SURE?" Vanellope asked as she ran alongside Ralph.

"He's certain of it!" the wrecker nodded, careful not to knock down the front doors of Niceland in his rush to get to the mayor.

The little racer let out a snort as she followed Ralph up the stairs, "Yeah right! Knowing GEEENE, this is probably his way of conning me into bringin' him more brownies or somethin'! 'Member what he said about the 'dire need of Sugar Rush chocolate' for his last party?"

"Trust me kid! This isn't a rouse!" Ralph said as he turned the corner towards Gene and Mary's apartment "Big Gene's…."

The man stopped. He just couldn't force himself to continue on with the sentence. It was just too corny by this point!

"You'll see kid. You'll see."

The two hadn't even gotten a yard from the door when they heard a loud crash, followed by the sound of someone crying out in pain!

"AURGH! DARN IT!"

"WHOA!" Vanellope shouted, jumping back a bit "Sounds like someone got to him before us!"

"Gene?!" Ralph dashed towards the door, fearing the worst had happened in the time he had left "I know it's a nice jog from here ta Sugar Rush but don't tell me-!"

The wrecker threw the door open and both he and Vanellope were met with a scene they had NEVER thought they would encounter!

There before them was a now FIVE AND A HALF FOOT Gene, the man frantically fanning Mary in the face as he held her body carefully in his arms, the pink Nicelander out like a light in his huge hands!

"PLEASE WAKE UP!" the Mayor sobbed horribly as he held his fiancé.

Vanellope let out a scream as she jumped back into Ralph, nearly crawling on the man's face in shock "HOLY SUGAR SNAPS!"

"GAH! RALPH!" Gene screamed!

"GENE?!" answered Ralph!

"BIG?!" asked Vanellope, pointing to the Nicelander.

"GAAAAAAH!" the mayor screamed in panic, still holding onto Mary. "NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE!"

"Urgh, why is everything so LOUD in here?!" Mary asked, finally coming to.

"MARY!" Gene beamed, smiling from ear to ear "Oh my goodness darling, you're OKAY!" and without thinking twice, the man just HUGGED his love, forgetting that he was MUCH stronger than usual.

"MPPH! GENE!" Mary managed to cry out, her voice muffled as she was pressed in-between Gene's arms and his stomach, her legs kicking furiously!

"Gene, let her go before you crush her!" Ralph said, running over to the mayor.

Seeing what he was doing, Gene dropped the tiny Nicelander back on the ground, scared he might have hurt her "A-are you okay?!"

"Am I okay?!" Mary said, looking up at Gene and backing away a bit "What about YOU?! You're-!" the woman's eyes trailed upwards, taking in just how BIG Gene was now compared to her "You're HUGE! You're even taller than FELIX!"

A Nicelander who was TALLER than Felix? That was something new!

"Sweet monkey milk!" Vanellope said as she bounced from Ralph's shoulders, looking up at Gene in curiosity "Look at the SIZE of him! He looks like he hit one too many of those TURBO PIES ya guys make!"

"Turbo Pies?!" Mary said in a slightly angered tone "What type of Turbo Pie does THIS to a person?!"

"I dunno!" Vanellope shrugged "Accordin' ta Gene, somethin' from MY place did this ta him but considerin' how powerful an' random Turbo Pies are-! I mean, when C-Butt ate 'em, they made HER 'splode, so-!"

"But-! But I KNOW it was something from Sugar Rush!" Gene blurted without thinking "I only started growing AFTER I came back!"

"Wait, AFTER?!" Mary said, turning towards her fiancé "You mean to tell me you've been feeling odd for the past TWO DAYS and you didn't tell me!"

Even though Mary was now two feet shorter than him, Gene still backed away from the woman, fear written all over his face "N-now, dear! I didn't-!"

Mary reached up and grabbed Gene by his collar, pulling the stunned man down to her height with surprising strength "You didn't WHAT?! Do you know this could have been AVOIDED if you just told me something was wrong?! Now look at you!"

The man hung his head low "I know, I know…..but I never thought it would get this out of hand! I-I mean, at first I was just one or two inches taller than you and then-!"

"BOOM. BIG GENE!" Vanellope finished, her arms out wide. She walked around the man curiously, more fascinated than scared "Gee, wonder how big you'll get at this rate!"

"I don't want to find out!" the man cried, feeling even worse with the way Vanellope was treating him like a science project rather than a person who needed help "I-I just want to figure out what's happening so we can fix this as soon as possible!"

"An' what makes ya think we DON'T!?" shouted Ralph, a hand to his head "Aw MAN! I figured that you'd only grow about a few inches while I was gone! NOT THIS MUCH!"

"Hmmm, I don't know Ralph!" Vanellope smiled, still far too excited about the situation for the Nicelanders' liking "The more I look at it, I STILL think it was somethin' Gene ate! I mean, he's always eatin' SOMETHIN' so maybe he just took in the wrong thing this time!"

"Oh, give me more credit than THAT!" Gene growled, slapping his forehead.

"Wait, wait, wait, I know!" the girl said brightly, her ponytail swirling a bit "Gene's coding is growing to match his ANGER and once he reaches his limits, he'll EXPLODE!"

Explode?

EXPLODE?!

Gene paled a bit as his pupils shrank down; those were some words he did NOT need to hear at the moment.

"I-I need cake…." The mayor stuttered as he staggered to the kitchen, pulling the leftover Rainbow Tower Cake from the fridge and wasting no time in eating the cut slices right off the plate, sobbing horribly as he did so.

"Augh, Gene! No! You ALWAYS do this when you get upset!" Mary groaned as she ran to comfort her fiancé, apparently having dealt with this type of behavior from Gene before.

"Wow, so my first guess was right?" Vanellope said, rather stunned.

"VANELLOPE."

Gene said nothing at the comment, mostly likely because he was too busy crying and shoving cake in his mouth to care "*NOM!* MIGHT AS WELL *NOM!* ENJOY MY LAST MEAL *NOM!*!"

"Oookay, NOW would be a good time to take things a bit more seriously!" Ralph said as he looked down at is friend.

"I HAVE been takin' this seriously, Stink Breath!" the girl pouted "Is it MY fault that everyone thinks I'm jokin'! Don't blame me when Genie here finally explodes or somethin'!"

"YOUNG LADY!" Mary cried, looking just as panicked as Gene, if not more so "Look, from what I can understand, something from Sugar Rush is the cause of this so if you DON'T mind, TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ITEM FROM YOUR GAME DID THIS TO HIM!"

"I'm sorry Ms. Mary, but I don't know what's wrong!" Vanellope said "I just don't have enough info!"

The little racer peered over Mary's shoulder, seeing Gene in the kitchen shoving two slices of cake in his mouth.

"*NOM!* I knew something *NOM!* bad was going to happen *NOM!*!"

Any other day, Vanellope would have been ENTERTAINED by Gene's antics but given the way that both he AND Mary were reacting to his strange affliction, she knew it would be better if she lay off the jokes and help. She sighed heavily, giving Mary a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry ma'am! We can help him!"

The racer darted towards the kitchen, standing before Gene on the opposite side of the table.

"Okay big guy…" the racer said in a surprisingly comforting tone "Let's go over this again. What happened?"

Gene stopped, sniffing back as he looked down at the racer and finally put the cake down "W-well, we arrived at your game and after you talked to Ralph, we went to meet up with Candlehead."

"Ah-huh?" nodded Vanellope "Continue…"

"Then…then we stayed and watched her make this cake but before we left, I asked if I could borrow one of her cook books! I went back into the bakery and tried to get it but because I was too short, I had to use a chair but THAT didn't help either, so then…"

"Yes, YES?!" asked Vanellope, her eyes brightening.

"URGH! I don't remember! The mayor cried, reaching for another slice of cake "It's like everything after going for the book went blank! I mean, I can remember REACHING for the thing and then coming out of the bakery with it but there's a WHOLE gap missing from that point in-between!"

"Wait….what kind of cake is that?" Vanellope said, pointing to the remaining slices.

The mayor turned towards the racer, swallowing the remaining cake he had in his mouth "R-rainbow something something I CAN'T THINK RIGHT NOW!" he wailed as he wolfed down another slice.

"Rainbow Tower Cake?"

Gene nodded feebly, swallowing the large wad of cake.

Vanellope nearly hit the ceiling once she realized what had happened "Ah, HA! C-Butt's missing power ups!"

"Meephf?" the man mumbled, more cake in his mouth.

Vanellope was grinning from ear to ear when she put the puzzle together "Ya all saw C-Butt use power-ups in her recipes! It all makes sense now! The POWER-UPS are what's causin' all of this calamity!"

"In that case-!" Mary growled as she snatched the rest of the cake away from Gene, smacking his hands "We better get rid of this thing!"

"But you and Ralph ate some as well! How come I'm the only one that's being *HIC!* affected?!" the mayor whimpered, hiccuping from having nearly eaten the entire cake himself.

"Because tha power-ups C-Butt used weren't the power-ups that did this to you!" Vanellope piped in "It was the ones she had SAVED up!"

"Saved up?" asked Ralph "How many of those things did that kid have during that class?!"

The racer smiled, feeling a bit proud that she had figured out the problem by herself "C-Butt told me that some of her power-ups were missin' an' I can only guess tha reason they were missin' was because YA fell in 'em!"

"N-now, now! I would have remembered falling into power-ups!" Gene protested, walking up to Vanellope.

"Hmm, true…but weird things can happen if ya set off so many of those things so close to each other!" Vanellope smiled "I 'member one time Beezie hit three of those bad boys at once! The poor girl was hit with a slow down so bad that it took her nearly FIVE MINUETS ta get back on track! Plus, she didn't even REMEMBER what had happened durin' that span of time!"

Gene shook a bit; it was all coming back now. No wonder he couldn't remember that much of anything when he took his tumble, especially if the power-ups had caused THAT much of a malfunction! "O-okay. We now this happened because of POWER-UPS but…but which ones did this to me?!"

"Easy, peasy, Big Genie!" Vanellope smirked "You're showing signs of the KING SIZED power-up! The guys an' I use 'em mostly ta make our ammo bigger so we can take out more targets!"

The girl stepped forward, looking Gene up and down.

"Never saw one activated on a character though!" she said, rubbing her chin "Heh, guess it's a first time for everything an' I hafta admit, it IS pretty cool!"

Gene had had enough of Vanellope's attitude towards the situation but before he could say anything….

GLITCH!

Half an inch taller!

Even Mary knew how grave the situation was becoming and she turned, looking at the small racer with a stunned look "Really young lady? You think THIS is COOL?!"

Vanellope blushed a bit, sensing some tension "W-well, just a lil?"

"I have only ONE, just ONE, question now, Ms. VANELLOPE." the mayor growled deeply, stooping down to the racer's height "How long is this going to last?!"

Vanellope let out a nervous chuckle as she walked back towards Ralph "Er, to tell ya the truth, if ya activated these things TWO DAYS ago, ya should already be back down to your munchkin size!" She stopped, once again thinking back to what Candlehead said, twirling her hair in-between her fingers "Of course…."

"What?! WHAT?!" Gene said as he suddenly sprang on Vanellope, lifting her off her feet "Don't stall on us!"

"H-Hang on Mayor Gene! C-Butt did mention that she had FOUR of those things but either way, if ya hit four, five, six? Their powers shouldn't have lasted that long! They only last about 30 seconds each TOPS an' even with a slow-down, no WAY you'd be this big for this amount of time!"

"Urgh, GREAT!" the man growled, putting a hand to his temple "Then there must be something else interfering with all of this!"

"Do ya think Felix can fix it?" Vanellope said brightly.

"We can try!" Ralph replied "But it just depends on whether or not there is any code that's broken! You know what happens when Felix tries to fix something that doesn't need it! It only gets STRONGER! Gene could wind up BIGGER and the power-ups could last LONGER!"

Mary nodded grimly "True, true!"

"Um, hello?" Gene squeaked, feeling a tad nervous as he looked at the three.

"Oh! What if we call someone in with one of those poison mushrooms from Mario!" the racer piped in "That'll cut him down!"

Gene 's heart began to race with each suggestion that was thrown around "GUYS?!"

"Oh no, no, no! That might actually make him sick!" said Mary in worry.

"GUYS!"

Everyone tuned to face Gene, the man besides himself in worry. Once all eyes were on him, the man started to cool off a bit, the redness in his cheeks dying down.

"H-Here's an idea!" Gene said with a forced smile "If my problem STARTED in Sugar Rush, then HEY! Why not GO TO SUGAR RUSH to find a solution?! I mean, it's something to CONSIDER!"

"Good idea!" Mary agreed, albeit nervously, "Or maybe once you get there, the programming of those things should start to work correctly and you'll return to normal!"

"Hey!" Vanellope said with a humored tone "Those things should have worked REGARDLESS of what game they were in! Maybe it was Geeeene who caused 'em ta go screwy when he used 'em on himself!"

"I DIDN'T USE THEM ON MYSELF!" the mayor shrieked, his temper rising a bit but then he faltered "I mean-! I ACTIVATED them, but I told you it was an ACCIDENT! Do you even THINK I would try to use those stupid things on myself?! I mean, LOOK AT ME! I can barely move in my own apartment in this state!"

"Well, if I were in YOUR shoes, it WOULD seem like a good idea!" the racer shrugged.

Gene peered down at Vanellope, an eyebrow arched "What do you mean, MY SHOES?!"

"I mean, if I had EVERYONE snarkin' about my height all tha time, I guess I would be a lil self-conscious too!" the racer laughed "Like that time where ya needed a BOOSTER SEAT at the movie theater? Or all the times people think you're a kid with a fake mustache? Or when ya get new clothes, ya always hafta get 'em from the Super Jr. department? Hah! That would get me!"

Vanellope felt Gene's hand drop on her shoulder, the girl squeaking in shock as she looked up at the Nicelander in blue and to her fear, he did not look happy.

"Hold up a second. WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT OUT?!"

Realizing what she had just said, the little racer clamped her hands over her mouth, blushing like mad "Eheh, just forget I said that, OKAY?" she said, putting her hands behind her back. Clearly flustered, Gene peered up at Ralph, noticing the look of guilt on the man's face.

He should have known. The two always humored themselves in talking about Gene and his habits behind his back and while he did admit that it VERY annoying at first, Gene stopped caring once he found that he could easily brush off the laughs.

But all the snarks and jokes about his height?

THAT HAD GONE TOO FAR!

Even worse, who KNEW how many people the two friends had chatted to about those facts! The entire arcade was probably yucking it up at Gene's expensive over his height and the more the mayor thought about it, the more furious he became!

"You-?! You told her that story?!" Gene shouted in disbelief, his voice raising a bit "You told her about the mustache thing too?!"

"Um, I just thought it was a funny tale at the time!" Ralph laughed nervously, trying to ease the growing anger in the room but he was obviously failing "I-I mean, even YOU thought it was funny!"

"YEAH! BECAUSE I THOUGHT MY FRIENDS WERE GOOD ENOUGH NOT TO SHARE IT WITH ANYONE ELSE!" roared Gene "Oh PROGRAMMERS! If you told Vanellope and she told some of her friends…the news could SPREAD throughout this arcade and we know they already have enough mud on me as it is!"

"W-well, they do say news travels fast but-!"

"YEAH! I'm aware of that, RAAAAAAALPH!" Gene growled, standing on his tip-toes as he was still much smaller than Ralph "I'm very much well aware of how fast news travels in this place considering I'm usually the target of most of it!"

The wrecker pushed the mayor back, getting a little upset himself "Hey, cut the kid some slack Gene! It's not like people wouldn't have figured it out sooner or later considering how much you complain about being short! We hear you whine about it all the time!"

"AND DO YOU KNOW WHY I 'WHINE', YOUNG MAN?! BECAUSE OF STUFF LIKE THIS!" the mayor bellowed, his face turning redder with each passing second "You guys just don't know when to let up or when enough is ENOUGH! Do you think I LIKE being MOCKED by people about how short I am?! Do you think I ENJOY all the jokes that come my way?! DO YOU!?"

Ralph had to admit he was a little scared as he had never seen Gene this upset before, even in the thirty years he had known the man "L-look, okay! Maybe we went a bit too far but-!"

"OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T GO TOO FAR BECAUSE IT'S ALL A JOKE TO YOU!" Gene continued "HAHAHA! I get it now! As long as it's ENTERTAINING to BOTH of you, who the FLIP CARES if it bothers MEEEEEE, RIGHT?! I don't have feelings because I'm BIG MEAN GENE, so it's ALRIGHT to CONSTANTLY BOTHER ME, ANNOY ME, and mention EVERY SINGLE, PERSONAL WORRY I have to random strangers! Let'em LAUGH because it's funny to YOU right?! LET'S ALL LAUUUGH!"

"Gene, CALM DOWN!" Mary said, pulling on the man's hands "You're only going to make things worse if you keep going on like this!"

By now, it was far too late to calm Gene down, the man having had enough with what was happening to him but his temper was the only thing growing at the moment! The man was far too preoccupied to even notice that as he continued to sound off, he was GLITCHING as well! RAGE was the only thing on his mind after the revelation of what Ralph and Vanellope had been doing that he didn't even notice that he had passed six and a half feet and was quickly making his way up to SEVEN!

HE didn't notice...BUT EVERYONE ELSE DID!

"I mean, if YOU don't say something about my height, then the KID does, then someone from JUNGLE KING, then someone from STREET FIGHTER, KING OF FIGHTERS, BATTLE PAWS, AND EVERY SINGLE GAME IN THIS FREAKING ARCADE! CAN YOU PEOPLE GIVE ME A FREAKIN' BREAK AND LEAVE ME ALONE?! THAT'S ALL I ASK! IS IT THAT HARD FOR YOU PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND?!"

"GENE!" screamed Mary, ducking a bit in fright.

"WHAT?!" the man roared so LOUDLY and DEEPLY that his voice echoed sharply throughout the ENTIRE apartment, shaking a few things in the process. Gene huffed in exhaustion after his little rage fest but his mood quickly changed. The Nicelander stopped, noticing the terrified look on Mary's face as he glanced down at her but he looked towards Ralph, seeing that he was getting closer to the wrecker in height!

"W-what the FUDGE-?!"

The mayor looked at his hands, trying to take in just how BIG he had become but the looks of shock on the two smaller characters below him caught his attention.

"Well…I don't think ANYONE would have the nerve to laugh at ya NOW!" said Vanellope.

The blue Nicelander tried to stand in the apartment but in attempting to do so, he conked his head on the low ceiling, bits of plaster raining down. Mary let out a gasp as she ran over to the mayor who was on his knees, rubbing his head.

"Ooow.." the mayor groaned, even more embarrassed after realizing he had gone overboard.

"D-dear, are you okay?!" the woman said in worry, giving Gene a gentle pat on his head. The mayor returned Mary's worried glance but he then hung his head low, letting out a loud sigh.

"Urgh, I know I wanted to be taller, but not like THIS!"


	6. Chapter 6- Escape Plan

Chapter Six- Escape Plan

Vanellope was now pacing in the living room, her mind going at top speeds "Alright, does anyone have a plan?!"

"Yeah, get Gene outta here before he gets any bigger!" Ralph scowled, grabbing the child by her head to stop her crazed walking.

Mary ran up to Ralph, looking unsure of the plan "A-and after that? Then what?!"

"I dunno know! We call Dr. Mario or somethin'! Either way, he can't stay here!"

"C'mon, Big Gene! Let's go!" Vanellope said as she glitched from Ralph's hold and appeared behind the mayor, pushing him towards the front door.

"H-Hold on! I'M-!" The mayor made a grab for the door but as he forgot that he was MUCH larger, and STRONGER, then he normally was he RIPPED the door from its frame as if it were nothing, squeaking in shock as he did so before dropping it! The other three looked in shock at the mess, Vanellope peering up at the mayor.

"WOW! Look at what ya did!"

"I-I-I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!" sputtered Gene, getting even more worked up "I-I just-!"

Ralph patted the Nicelander on the shoulders "Don't worry pal, it comes with the territory. Now hurry before you do any more damage!"

"Any MORE damage!?" the mayor thought to himself as he attempted to duck out of the apartment, conking his forehead on the way out.

The irony of it all hit Gene with the force of a bulldozer. For so many years, he had gotten on Ralph's case about being nothing more than a giant force of destruction yet here things were, the tables turned DELICIOUSLY on the Nicelander who was trying with all his might, all his energy not to destroy anything he touched as he slowly made his way down the hall, but it was harder than he thought, especially at his current size. A moment didn't go by where Gene accidentally knocked over a hanging painting with his shoulder or put a dent in the wall with his elbow. He could feel his head brushing uncomfortably close to the ceiling and he could only dread if he were too heavy for the floors, the wood creaking under his weight with each step he took!

It was a total mess and Ralph could do nothing but shake his head, but not because he was getting annoyed but rather it reminded him of HIMSELF when the game was first plugged in. It DID take a while for the wrecker to get used to things so it was no surprise that Gene was tumbling everywhere, especially when the Nicelander was so used to being so tiny, not THIS large!

The mayor was becoming increasingly claustrophobic as he was being lead down the hall, the area already feeling like it was shrinking around him despite he hadn't been hit with a glitch for a while. He became dizzy, the room started to spin and tilt. He felt that at any moment he could just fall over but he knew he couldn't, not with things the way they were!

"S-slow down, PLEASE!" Gene puffed, trying to rest his hand on one of the side tables "I-I think I might-!"

Gene had only placed his hand on the table for a moment when he felt the wood break under his hand, the thing lying in splinters on the ground.

"Don't stop! Keep going!" Mary said, pulling the man forward.

So far so good but it was only a matter of time SOMEONE would get curious and see what was happening, especially with all the noise that was going on.

Things weren't going to stay silent in Niceland for long.

* * *

"Um, Nel….I've been thinkin'…." Norwood said, taking his pipe from his mouth.

"Yes?" the purple Nicelander replied, pouring the man some tea.

"I-I know ya made Mary's dress for tha weddin' an' all but…an' don't think I'm NUTS or somethin'. If it were your OWN weddin', would ya make your own dress?"

Nel stopped short of pouring her own tea as she looked up at Norwood, the look on her face sending a chill through the man.

"Nory, what are ya implyin'?"

"N-nothin' sweets!" the man blushed horribly "I-I just thought that since you're so GOOD at sewin' an' all that, that maybe, MAYBE if ya got married, would ya think tha other gowns wouldn't look good on ya! Not that I'm sayin' ya look BAD in 'em! Ya look good in ANYTHIN' so-!"

The purple Nicelander couldn't help but chuckle; she knew EXACTLY what Norwood was talking about but to save the man some embarrassment, she continued to play oblivious.

"Why Norwood, DAH-LIN'! I haven't the foggiest clue as ta what ya mean! I mean, MARRIAGE? I don't think that's for me!"

Norwood suddenly looked at Nel as if she had taken all his cats away, "W-what?!" he managed to choke out in a weak whimper "B-but Nel, I-I was SURE-!"

"GOTCHA!" the woman laughed as she brushed the red-headed Nicelander's hair in his eyes, making him yelp "See, I caught ya that time, RED. Next time don't-!"

CRASH!

Both Nicelanders screamed from the sudden crash outside the apartment, Norwood grabbing onto Nel and making a dive for the floor.

"Good GRACIOUS! What in the world was that?!"

After a moment or two, Norwood looked around and rose from the floor "Geeze, sounds like Ralph's up an' doin' some late-night practice!"

"Are you sure about that? I mean, it sounded like that came from the INSIDE of the building!" Nel said, fluffing her hair back into place.

"OW! RALPH!" cried Gene angrily.

"YA WANNA GET OUT OR NOT!?" the wrecker growled.

"Will you two be QUIET!?" shouted Vanellope, not at all quiet herself.

"You call that QUIET?!" Mary whispered in a harsh tone.

"Oh, oops."

Both Nicelanders exchanged glances as they crawled their way towards the front door, Norwood putting his ear on the frame.

"Hear anything?" Nel whispered, leaning on the man's shoulders.

Norwood kept his concentration on the sounds, his eyebrow arching "Hmmm. Either Gene an' Mary finally did someone in an' they're tryin' ta move tha evidence….Or Ralph just SHOVED 'im inta a wall AGAIN!"

No sooner had Norwood said those words then what should come BUSTING through Nel's wall than Gene's hand, the two Nicelanders falling on their butts from the huge crash.

Nel rubbed her eyes, making sure she was seeing things correctly "HOLY-!"

"'EY!" Norwood growled in anger as he sprang to his feet "What tha heck ya tryin' ta do! If ya wanna wreck someone's apartment GO TA GENE'S PLACE!"

"NORWOOD! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR MOUTH!" Gene roared from the other side of the wall, balling up his huge fist.

Norwood's eyes widened in shock upon hearing his name "G-GENE?!"

The mayor struggled to pull his hand free, doing so only after causing even more damage to the wall, leaving the two Nicelanders on the floor in shock.

"Well, we can forget about keepin' tha others from knowin'!" Vanellope shouted from the others side.

"Young lady, if you DON'T HUSH UP, I WILL-!"

"GENE! JUST MOVE!"

"There is NO WAY-!" Nel shouted, getting back on her feet and throwing the door open. Norwood reached out for the woman, scared she was running right into the heart of whatever mess was happening in the hall.

"Baby! WAIT!"

There was no point in trying to stop Nel now. When she was on a roll, SHE WAS ON A ROLL!

"Okay, whoever that was who shoved their GARGANTUAN fist through my wall better have some answers or so help me I'LL-KIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Nel let out a sharp scream as she once again fell back on her bottom, laying eyes on the HUGE Gene before her. As expected, Nel's piercing scream caught the attention of the four in the hall, NONE of them able to come up with any sort of excuse to calm the woman down!

"U-uh! THIS ISN'T GENE! IT'S THAT GIANT SUN GUY DRESSED UP AS HIM!" Vanellope said with an unhinged smile.

"Aw CRAP! I've had NIGHTMARES like this!" Nel stammered as she began to back away towards her apartment.

"You mean to tell me you've had dreams where I'm huge?" Gene said, looking a might confused.

As if things couldn't get any worse, Norwood made a dive out the door, grabbing Nel by her arms "Oh my goodness honey, are you-**_BIG FREAKIN' GENE WHAT THA HECK IS THIS?!_**" he hollered, not at all prepared to see his best friend TOWERING over him!

Yeah, there was no point in trying to hide it now. They had been found out.

Like clockwork, the rest of the Nicelanders opened their doors, only to look and SCREAM at their mayor who was now standing at least three feet above them!

"No way!" exclaimed Lucy, ducking behind her door.

"I-it can't be!" shouted Meg.

Gene tried his best to calm his friends down, but by now the entire hall was swarmed with panicking, chittering Nicelanders, the tiny people running all about the mayor and not doing a thing to ease the nervousness that was building up in his mind.

"N-now, guys! Please! I can assure you that nothing is-!"

Gene tried to take a step forward but as he did so, he felt his foot going through the wooden floor! With a scream, the mayor took a tumble forward and landed none too gently in front of his neighbors, making the situation even worse as the others continued to scatter around like scared mice.

"Mr. Gene! Are ya okay?!" asked Vanellope as she ran to help the man up.

Seeing all his neighbors running around him wasn't helping Gene at all. All he wanted to do was ensure everyone that things were going to be fine but how could he in this state? They were terrified of him! He looked around, his mind spinning as he felt like he was being closed in from the constant screaming and the tight hallway.

But he knew he had to do something, and he had to do it NOW!

A deep growl rumbled in Gene's chest as he slowly rose, his left foot still stuck in the floor. He then drew back a deep breath, his chest puffing out.

"**EVERYONE!**" he bellowed, his arms out "**CALM THE ****_FLUCK_**** DOWN!**"

The group of Nicelanders stopped in their place as the sound of their mayor's voice SHOOK the ENTIRE building!

THAT got them to stop!

Well, except for Roy.

"PROGRAMMERS! ITS BEGUN!" yelled Roy, the man wasting not a second to fall on knees and cry. Mary ran up to the sobbing man and lifted him up by the collar.

"Roy, don't you DARE start this!"

"OH PROGRAMMERS! OH PROGRAMMERS! THE END GAMES ARE HERE AND WE-!"

Without saying another word, Mary SLAPPED Roy in the face, the man finally returning to his senses.

"Thanks. I feel better now!" the grey Nicelander panted, rubbing his stinging cheek.

All eyes were now on Gene, the Nicelanders peering up at their mayor with stunned looks on their faces. At first, they were still afraid of the sight before them but a second later, it dawned on them that the being that towered over them wasn't a threat nor was he an enemy.

It was GENE.

Gene, their mayor, their neighbor, their FRIEND.

True, he was several times LARGER than normal now and they had no idea as to WHY but at the end of the day, IT WAS STILL GENE.

The mayor growled as he finally pulled his foot from the floor, huffing in anger as he looked down at his neighbors "Okay, guess the secret is out, everyone!"

"Oh my GOODNESS!" Deanna said, walking from the crowd "What in the arcade HAPPENED to you!?"

"I dunno, Dee-Dee! I hit a late growth spurt!" Gene snapped, trying in vain to brush his hair from his eyes.

Mary could just feel the anger SEETHING from her love and she quickly darted over towards him "Darling, don't be mad at them! They're….they were just a little shocked!" The woman then turned towards the others, a helpless look on her face "But please! No more screaming! We're having enough trouble as it is trying to get him out of here! The last thing he needs is people yelling at him!"

"S-Sorry, Mary!" Norwood said, still in shock "B-but hey! At least we know it's not someone REALLY dangerous right? I mean, heh, it's just Gene!"

The mayor scowled at Norwood, a threatening glint in his eyes "I don't really find your particular brand of comedy FITTING for what's going on, NORY. So if you don't mind, please STOP IT."

The red-headed Nicelander was smart enough to know when he had said too much and without hesitation, he walked back towards the others, his eyes on his friend the entire time.

Pearl looked over to Mary "Is there anything we can do to help? You said you wanted to get him out of the apartments, so-!"

"I really hope you weren't thinking of taking the elevator!" blurted Meg "I don't even think HALF of Gene can fit inside now!"

"M-Maybe he can!" Mary said, as she looked at the elevator before turning her focus on Ralph "YOU usually find a way to fit inside and Gene's isn't as big as you YET so…."

"Y-Yeah!" the wrecker said "It's gonna be a tight fit, but it should work!"

"Great!" cheered Vanellope "Then let's get Big Genie outta here before-!"

GLITCH!

Right on schedule.

"GAH!" Gene cried in pain as he folded over, the shocks only increasing "I-I KNEW things were running too smooth!"

The Nicelanders gasped as they looked at their mayor, backing away slightly in caution.

"Y-you okay there, private?!" Don said in a shaky voice.

Mary put her hands to her mouth "Not again! Not now!"

Once again, Gene's mesh glitched for a split second as he began to shoot upward and to his horror he didn't stop, not even when it became apparent that he was now the same nine and a half feet height as Ralph himself!

"WHOA!" the wrecker cried, pushing the Nicelanders aside to protect them "You guys MIGHT wanna take a few steps back!"

Vanellope could not believe what she was witnessing "A-an' this is tha point when he stops, RIGHT? RIGHT?!"

Of course not.

Another glitch soon followed and then another! By now, Gene was so large, he was forced to stoop over just to keep his head from going through the ceiling but he was still wedge uncomfortably tight in the small halls, his left hand pressed against the window.

"If I just-! AURGH!"

With another large crash, the mayor's hand broke through the window, his entire arm hanging out of the gaping hole! The residence of East Niceland stopped cold in their tracks at the sight of the arm hanging from the window, grasping at the air as if he were trying to grab a hold of something.

"*#&(*#*( *&##*&!" shouted Q*Bert (translated: Goodness me! What troubles have befallen the Nicelanders?!) The little orange creature hopped his way over to the building to investigate further, several others following him.

"Is it one of the Nicelanders?!" one character meeped.

A little fuzz-ball shook his head "Nah! Too big!"

"Whatever it is, we can't let it hurt those guys!" cried another as it jumped forward.

* * *

"HOLY THINGS THAT SHOULDN'T BE SAID IN AN E-RATED GAME!" Ralph yelled as he looked up in total disbelief, not used to LOOKING UP at Gene!

"If he gets bigger than Candybug, I AM SO DONE…" Vanellope said, her eyes wide.

The Nicelander struggled to find some sort of way to position himself so he wasn't pressed against the ceiling but with his arm stuck, things were only getting harder!

"Y-Yeah…." he hissed "The elevator is out of the question!"

Mary scanned the entire area for ANY sort of solution. If the elevator were out, how else in the world could they help Gene? To make things even worse, everyone was still near the top of the floor so unless the blue Nicelander figured out a way to CLIMB down the side of the building, he wasn't going anywhere soon!

That was unless…

"Of COURSE! The STAIRS" Mary smiled as she ran over to the mayor.

"W-WHAT?!" the mayor stammered, opening an eye to look down at his fiancé.

"You might be BIG but I'm sure you can still fit down the stairwell!" the woman said, a hopeful smile appearing on her face.

"Th-the stairs?" the now extra-large Nicelander quivered, trying his best to turn his head over to the stair door "I-I guess so! I mean the hall is pretty wide so-NYAAAAAAGH!"

Without so much as a warning, Gene drew back his hand as he cried out in pain! He forcibly pulled his hand back into the apartments and in doing so, took out a LARGE section of the wall in the process! His reaction was so fast that the others barely had time to move out of the way, Ralph jumping down and covering both Vanellope and Mary with his hands.

"HEY! WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL!?" roared Ralph, not noticing that Gene was in pain.

"Ow! OW!" the Nicelander hissed as he shook his hands "S-SOMETHING BIT ME!"

"Rrrrr!"

The Nicelander opened his eyes to get a glance at what was causing him such pain and to his shock, he found that several of the characters from East Niceland were the culprits, the small bunch gnawing at the mayor's fingers in anger but their anger was no match for Gene's!

"WH-!?" he scowled, looking down at the bunch "**_WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?_**"

Upon seeing that they were biting the hands of a GIANT Nicelander, the bunch knew they had made a mistake, especially with how angry Gene was becoming at the moment! They let out a few high pitched screams as they let go of Gene's hand and scattered down the other end of the hall for their own safety. The mayor snorted as he watched the group go but he turned his attention to his stinging hand, red bite marks forming on each and every finger.

"Even my neighbors think I'm sort of monster now!" he moaned, blowing his hand gently.

Ralph stood up as he looked at the gaping hole in the wall, finding it a bit strange to see such destruction in the building that HE hadn't caused! There was no point in even ATTEMPTING to try to be careful now; Gene had to get out of the building and he had to get out NOW!

"That's it! Forget keepin' this place up!" The wrecker growled as he drew back a fist and threw it forward, blasting a HUGE hole in the wall, just the right size for Gene to attempt to make his way downstairs.

"RALPH!" the mayor gasped.

"Sorry pal, but it's the only thing left to do at this point!" Ralph said as he looked up at Gene "Would you rather have a few holes in the building or have the WHOLE place come down around ya?!"

Gene hesitated for a moment but he knew that Ralph was right! Better to come out with a few bumps than take EVERYONE out! Even with respawning, Gene would feel HORRIBLE to know he hurt so many people in his own clumsiness. The mayor peered down the stairs, gulping back a bit when he took account into how tall (and how much wider) he was now. It looked impossible.

"I-I'll try!"

"Yes!" said Mary, running in front of her fiancé "And we're going to help, RIGHT?!"

The other Nicelanders looked at each other but they couldn't just leave Gene helpless! The group nodded, a few of them running forward to join Mary in helping guide Gene down the stairs.

"Well, we can't say nothing interesting happens here in Niceland!" Blake chuckled nervously.


	7. Chapter 7- Stuck

Chapter Seven- Stuck

Gene held his breath as he made his way down the winding staircase with the help of the others and thankfully, having them around was doing wonders for his nerves. Though he was still worried about making it down without causing further damage to the apartments, at least knowing that his neighbors were willing to stick by him made him feel better. The group inched their way down towards the front doors, walking with caution with every step.

"It's okay dear, just keep focused!" Mary said in a gentle voice, holding onto Gene's hand lovingly.

Even with his progress, Gene couldn't stop thinking of how humiliated he was. To think that he once thought having some height over people would be a GOOD thing but instead it was turning into a nightmare! By now he was so big he couldn't maneuver his way through his own home! He was even bigger than the so-called bad guy of his game! With no other choice, the large Nicelander continued to lurch his way down the stairs, a few of them breaking under his weight.

"Come on, Gene! Don't add any more work to what Felix already has to do!" yelled Lucy.

"Don't even MENTION Felix!" Gene whined, shaking his head "He would be FURIOUS to find out I did this!"

"Aw, don't think like that!" smiled Vanellope "You're not doin' this on PURPOSE so I'm sure he would understand!"

"Yeah right…." Gene thought to himself, trying to keep his mind clear. He knew Felix was an understand person, but how would ANYONE understand THIS?!

With much effort, Gene and the others finally made their way down to the lobby of the apartments. The mayor did have a bit of trouble fitting through the small door frame but with a bit of effort, he managed to squeeze his way through with only some minimal damage done to the walls. He looked back, in shock that he actually made it but as he inspected the damage he had done, he couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt come over him.

"Sweet ghost of Miyamoto…maybe I should take over your duty for a day, Ralph! I think I've broken more things without even TRYING!"

"Yeeeah, we can discuss that ONCE we get ya outside, big guy!" the wrecker said as he pulled Gene's sleeve and lead him towards the door.

"R-right!" the mayor stuttered "Just let me make sure I can still fit or-!"

Ralph had just put his hands on the door handles when he felt something from outside push towards him. The man jumped back only to look right into the eyes of a STUNNED Felix, the repairman shocked to find Ralph looking down at him with such a panicked look on his face.

"Aw, **_CRAP._**"

"_Oh no…._" Vanellope squeaked, hiding behind Ralph.

Felix looked to the right; destruction!

He looked to left; more destruction!

The entire game was a mess!

"RALPH!?" said the surprised repairman "W-What's goin' on?! Everyone is goin' NUTS outside an-!"

Felix made a quick glance to the side, not even noticing the ENORMOUS Nicelander standing behind Ralph but his brain made a quick u-turn, the repairman in blue standing frozen in shock as his eyes met with Gene's. Ralph tried his best to prevent any more panic from happening but…

"**_GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!_**" Felix screamed at the top his lungs, nearly running back outside in fright.

"Dear! Please!" cried out Mary, grabbing Felix before he flew out the door "I know it's kind of hard to believe, but everything is okay! It's just GENE!"

"GENE?!" Felix gasped, turning back and looking the Nicelander up in the eyes "I-! HOW-?! WHY ARE YOU-!?"

"Yeah, he's HUGE. We know…." Vanellope grumbled as she pulled her friend away "Trust me, we've had to move his big booty from the top floors all the way down here so we're kinda used to it."

"What do ya mean UPSTAIRS?! Are ya tellin' me that things look even worse on the top floors!?"

Vanellope lowered her head "You have NO idea…"

"OH MY LAND! I just go out for a few hours an' THIS happens!" Felix cried, still in disbelief as he took off his hat "What did you guys DO?!"

"US?! We had nothin' ta do with this!" Vanellope snapped but her mood quickly changed "Scratch that. Um, my game KINDA had somethin' ta do with this BUT I DIDN'T DO THIS ON PURPOSE! I swear on my seat as president!"

"Then-!? HOW?!"

By now, Gene was so paranoid from Felix's reactions that he couldn't even muster up the courage to talk to the repairman. He could only stand in the lobby, a crazed look in his eye as he trembled horribly.

_Oh programmers! Felix is mad at me! He's mad at me and he hates me for what happened! Oh programmerswhyisthishappeningIdidn'twantthingstogetthisoutofcontrolwhenwillthisstoppleasesomeonehelpmepleasethat'sallI'maskingPLEASE!_

If only the Nicelander knew that Felix wasn't at all upset with anyone. True, he was upset that the apartments had been damaged but he was far more concerned with the well beings of his friends to start laying the blame on ANYONE. He wanted an explanation but more than that, he wanted to make sure everyone was SAFE.

Too bad Gene didn't know that. Too bad Gene was so far down his hole of fear that he didn't even notice the man walking up to him.

"G-Gene?! Gene can you hear me?!"

The combination of seeing Felix and his overwhelming panic succeeded in doing ONE thing and that was triggering another glitch.

GLITCH!

"AURGH!"

Once again, the mayor felt the pain of the glitching echo through every inch of his code, his muscles aching and his head pounding! Felix jumped back in caution as he noticed the mayor's actions, the Nicelander glitching ever second or so as his mesh showed through. Felix just turned towards Ralph, the look on his begging for some sort of answer to what was going on!

"Raaaaaaalph?"

The wrecker took Felix by the shoulder, pulling him back even further from the Nicelander "'Member when ya said ya wanted an explanation? This…THIS explains PART of it!"

Felix held up a finger as he was dragged, a befuddled look on his face "_B-but this doesn't look-!_"

Gene squeaked as he jolted back, his form once again heading upwards without his control. The other Nicelanders shrieked in shock, scattering away as fast as their tiny legs could carry them. From their cover, Felix could do nothing but look on aghast at what he was witnessing, his eyes huge and his hands clamped over his mouth.

"Remember when ya asked me what it was like facin' Candybug for the first time? Imagine THIS but…." Ralph shook his head "Who am I kiddin'? This is just as freaky as that!"

"MS. MARY! GET OUTTA THE WAY!" shouted Vanellope as she reached her hands towards the pink Nicelander but Mary just couldn't move, not with the way things were. Her tiny figure looked ridiculous next to that of her still growing fiancé, the mayor's shadow covering her in darkness.

"_Oh, GOODNESS!_"

"Please! I'm big enough, **_I'M BIG ENOUGH!_**" the Nicelander begged as he found himself quickly running out of room, trying in vain to stop his growth by holding his arms against the wall but this only caused him to break them! He tried to duck but his head was still pressed against the ceiling, his shoulders bunched up as he tried to maneuver himself within the small space! He looked down; everyone looked so SMALL to him, even RALPH!

"D-Don't run! I'm not trying to hurt-!"

Gene made the mistake of trying to move forward and in doing so, his shoulder knocked roughly into the chandelier, the thing swinging violently from its chain before snapping loose!

"MARY, LOOK OUT!" yelled Felix as he made a dive for the Nicelander. The woman turned to see Felix running towards her, unaware that she was in danger of being crushed by the falling item. Thankfully, the little repairman was fast enough to grab Mary just as the chandelier landed on the floor, broken glass flying everywhere!

"A-are you okay?!" the repairman asked frantically.

"I-I think so!" Mary replied, looking herself over a few times, seeing no knicks or cuts on her person but as she looked at Felix, she let out a gasp "Dear! Your face!"

"W-what?!"

Mary suddenly reached out and grabbed Felix by his cheeks, though she did so gently "You're cut!"

Felix slowly put a hand on his cheek, wincing in pain once he felt the sting of a cut on his face, a small bit of blood showing up on the tip of his gloves "I-it's okay! J-Just one tap of my hammer an' I should be as good as new!"

Good as new? Sure, for Felix maybe but for Gene? He was beside himself after witnessing what had happened. It had only taken a few seconds but in that time, he had nearly CRUSHED the woman he loved AND he had succeeded in hurting Felix as he went in to help her. Seeing this only added more fear to the man….

And FEAR was exactly what kept him glitching! He was quickly running out of room in the lobby and just when things couldn't get any worse…

GLITCH!

In one final jolt, the once tiny Nicelander was sent up through the ceiling above, the man crying out in pain as his head went through someone's second floor apartment!

"HONEY!"

"Aw MAN! That's MY place!" shouted Carlos, watching some of his possessions come crashing onto the floor but any complaints he had for Gene were lost to the man, mostly because the sudden jolt had stunned the poor guy, his body now hanging limp as his knelt on the floor.

"GENE! GENE!" called Mary, hoping to reach him "Oh PROGRAMMERS, tell me you can hear me!"

The huge mayor remained stunned for a moment before coming too, the sounds of Mary's voice reaching his ears.

"M-Mary?"

"Gene! Are you alright?!"

"I-I think so…" the man groaned, trying his best to peer around in the dark apartment "But I think I should apologize to Carl! I might have broken a few things!"

"C-Can you get out?!" Felix called up.

"J-Just give me a second!" the mayor called down, holding a hand up to everyone below him. Being as careful as he could, the Nicelander put a hand to the ceiling and pressed up, attempting to pull his head free.

No go.

He then placed BOTH his hands on the ceiling and applied a bit more force. He could feel the plaster breaking in-between his fingers but by this time he knew there was no point in trying to keep the place neat and tidy.

Modesty be damned, he HAD to get himself free!

With one final tug, Gene's head FINALLY came free from the ceiling, a few objects from the apartment above crashing onto the floor but other than that, nothing else had been damaged and no one else had been hurt.

"Well, at least ya have a BIT more room now!" Felix laughed sheepishly, trying hard not to make the man any more upset.

Gene stooped over, his eyes going to Ralph "Ralph?!"

The wrecker gulped, a tad nervous to get close to Gene "Y-Yeah?"

There was a bit of a crazed look in the mayor's eye as he pulled Ralph closer, nearly knocking the man off his feet "If I ever, EVER complain about you putting holes in the ceiling again, SMACK ME!"

"Take up the offer Ralph! It's priceless!" shouted Vanellope.

"Nelly, not NOW!" Felix shushed, placing a hand atop the girl's head "We can discuss this ONCE we get Gene outta here!"

"And how do you expect me to get out NOW?!" Gene exclaimed "I can't even STAND in here!"

"Maybe not!" the repair man said, a determined look on his face "But I'm not givin' up on ya YET!"

Much to everyone's surprise Felix KICKED open the double-doors of Niceland, the repairman pointing towards the lawn "I don't care WHAT it takes, but I'm getting' ya OUTTA here!"

"You're kidding…" Gene growled, giving Felix a surprisingly grim glare "There is NO way I can fit through those doors!"

"Okay…." Felix said crossly, glaring up at the mayor "Unless ya wanna knock down another wall with US inside, then…"

"Alright, you've made your point!" Gene bellowed, shaking his hands once he knew that the repair man was right "J-just give me some room!"

The mayor went to his knees, stooping down even further as he inspected the height of the door way, his hope wavering. Even RALPH had a hard time getting through the door on a NORMAL day! What made Felix think he could fit through at his size?!

"Well?!" asked Mary, getting all the more nervous "What are you waiting for?!"

The mayor put his hands on his waist and then held them towards the door, not at all surprised to see that his waistline was a TAD too wide for the door at this point.

Yeah, he was starting to regret helping himself to too many of Mary's baked goods. Why did they have to be so darn good?!

"A-alright, let's go!" Gene breathed out, lurching forward, his chubby body proving to be a tight fit "A-all I have to do it keep moving FORWARD! I've got this! I've got this…"

Gene reached his left hand out first and grabbed the ground, gaining a bit of leverage as he pulled forward. He then reached out his right hand, finding that it too was an easy task to get out.

Now came the head.

THIS was going to be a challenge, considering just how oddly shaped the Nicelanders were but Gene knew he couldn't stop now! He had to keep going!

"YEAH! You're doin' GREAT!" cheered Felix, trying his best to keep a good mood in the air as he stood before Gene, guiding him out of the door.

The huge Nicelander gulped, pulling himself forward with both his hands and to his relief he was able to get his head out and pull forward a bit. He still had a way to go but at least he had gotten most of his body out! He looked around, the eyes of his other neighbors looking at him in shock. Gene couldn't stand those eyes as it felt as if everyone around him no longer saw him as someone who needed help but rather as a monster they should fear and run away from. He stopped himself though, knowing full well that if he allowed himself to become any more nervous than he already was, he could trigger another glitch and that could mean-!

He didn't even want to IMAGINE what could happen if he got any bigger!

"Just keep moving forward, Genie-Boy! Keep moving forward!" he huffed, falling on his chest once he saw that he was half-way out "Haff-haff! We're almost there!"

"Come on, Gene! You're doin' GREAT" Felix said, watching everything to make sure nothing had collapsed.

"R-Right!" the Nicelander said as he continued to move a few more feet, still trying to be as careful as possible, remembering the other Nicelanders were still inside. Thing were moving along fine and for the first time since the entire ordeal began, Gene felt a surge of confidence forming within him. He was so close to getting free!

"A-Almost there-!"

Gene was sure this would be it! HE was sure that he could escape!

And then…

A sudden pull from behind snapped the mayor out of that mood rather quickly.

"GERK!"

Felix stopped, looking up at the mayor with worry "What?! What's wrong?!"

Another sense of panic began to form within the titanic Nicelander. He looked back, seeing that his middle was firmly planted in-between the doors. He pulled again, feeling something holding him back! He tried again, only to hear some windows breaking around him in the process.

"P-Programmers!"

Felix bounced up to Gene, looking around in confusion "Why''d ya stop?!"

"Because I'm **_STUCK!_**" the mayor wailed, hitting the ground with his right fist, knocking Felix on his behind!

"STUCK?!" yelled Felix.

"Aw, you're KIDDIN' me!" shouted an exasperated Vanellope who was still inside with the others, watching Gene kick his stubby legs in a last act of desperation. Without saying another word, the girl moved closer to the window and glitched her way to the front yard, running in front of Gene "C'mon, Mayor Genie! Ya hafta keep movin'!"

The mayor once again tried to wriggle himself free but he was jammed tight in the building "**_I WOULD IF I COULD!_**"

Okay, this was it! **_THIS_** was the level in which Gene's humiliation had reached the point of no return!

As if everyone running away from him wasn't bad enough, he was now STUCK in Niceland, his front end lying on the lawn while the back end was still inside, his tummy holding him tight in the doorway! He blushed furiously, wanting nothing more than to just disappear from sight but being as big as he was, it was IMPOSSIBLE for him NOT to be seen!

Thank goodness the arcade was closed! What would the gamers think if they saw this during work hours!


	8. Chapter 8-Spectacle

Chapter Eight- Spectacle

"We're not givin' up on ya yet, Mayor Gene!" Vanellope grinned, her voice full of enthusiasm "We just need a lil power here!" the girl then made a dive for one of Gene's hands, grabbing ahold of his fingers and pulling with all her might!

"C'MON! C'MON!" the girl growled through gritted teeth, still pulling as hard as she could.

Of course, nothing.

Gene just blinked, feeling nothing as Vanellope continued to pull with every ounce of strength she had, her little feet digging into the grass.

The scene would have been CUTE if it weren't for the mass panic that was going on.

"Aaaah! I'm not gonna let ya stay here!" the little racer growled "Just think how much harder this would make the game!"

Just then, Felix joined in too, the repair man pulling as hard as he could!

"Felix!" Vanellope smiled "I can use all the help I can get!"

"Urgh! So can I!" The repairman turned, whistling out to the others "HEY! This is gonna take a lot more strength!"

At first, the others looked at Felix with a bit of hesitation, unsure whether or not to join him in his efforts. After all, some of them had gotten an up close taste of just how SCARY Gene was now after he had yelled at them for biting his fingers.

Who knew what he could do when he was THIS big!

Felix could sense the tension the others had and even though he couldn't blame them for being scared, he also couldn't let Gene lie helplessly in the door.

"HEY! We have someone here who needs our help! Are ya just gonna stand by an' watch?!"

"I-If we say YES, you would understand WHY right?" a character squeaked.

"Aw, REALLY guys! The sooner ya help, the sooner this will be OVER!" Vanellope called as she hopped up, looking at the others.

Q*Bert was the first to step forward though he did so with caution. Once he realized that the Nicelander was in desperate need for some assistance, he threw his fear to the side and turned to the others.

"&&* #*!((##!" the orange globe chattered, dashing over to Felix. (translated: Come forth my fellow citizens! We have a job to do!)

The others looked at one another for a second or two but quickly followed their friend, gathering around Felix and Vanellope as they each took hold of Gene's large hands.

Felix smiled down at Q*Bert, giving the character a thankful nod "Thanks pal!"

Watching the characters gather from the outside, Mary knew it was time for some effort to be done from within the building as well! She just couldn't let Felix and the others do ALL the work!

"Let's not leave them alone in their efforts!" the woman said, signaling for the others as she got behind Gene "NOW PUSH!"

"You're KIDDIN' right?" Nel said, a peeved look on her face "Look, Mary. I have a 'no touch Gene's booty' policy after that incident at the Christmas party in ninety-three, so-!"

"GUYS!" yelled Mary as she looked at the others "We just can't leave him here!"

Ralph and the other Nicelanders exchanged unsure glances before turning their heads back towards Mary, the woman showing both anger and worry in her eyes.

When she gave you THAT look, you knew things were serious!

"Well!" Ralph sighed, getting into position "There's more than one way to get a Mayor out from a door!"

With everyone gathered around Mary, the group awaited her signal.

"PUSH!" shouted the Nicelander in pink, using all the strength she could in her tiny body to push Gene forward but given the REGION where everyone was pushing, it wasn't surprising when Gene let out a surprised squawk as the pushing began, his cheeks burning brighter than ever!

"OH! What the-?!" the mayor yelled, trying to turn his head back towards the building "WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' BACK THERE!?"

"Tryin' ou best ta get ya out, **_MAYOR!_**" Ralph growled, the others giving him a hand in their endeavor!

Gene was about to answer but he felt a sharp pull from the front, his cheeks smushing against his extended arms!

"Geeze! It's like someone GLUED him in the door!" Vanellope grunted.

The sight of everyone trying their best to help him only made the man feel worse, shame written all over his face.

"IS THIS EVER GOING TO END?!"

"PUSH!" Mary yelled!

"PULL!" Felix followed!

"**_PUSH!_**" the Nicelanders shouted!

"**_PULL!_**" the other characters cried!

No go!

After so many tries, the groups began to run out of strength and Gene hadn't moved an inch from his place in the door!

One could only image how the scene was unfolding to anyone who was NOT inside the game and while there were THANKFULLY no players around to witness the drama, anyone who was within the vicinity of the cabinet could see what was happening.

And one game in particular was about to get a front row seat to EVERYTHING.

* * *

"Does ANYONE know where Vanellope ran off to?" asked an annoyed Taffyta, the girl scowling around at the other racers.

"Whoa, chill Blondie! What's wrong?" laughed Swizz, placing a hand on the girl's shoulders.

"I'll tell ya what's wrong! Vanellope an' I had plans ta go out tonight but just when we were about ta leave, who should come in an' SWOOP down ta take her but Ralph!"

Snowanna looked up from fixing her kart, wiping her hands clean of cherry syrup "Ralph? Didn't he say there was some sort of emergency at Niceland?"

"What do ya mean 'emergency?'" asked Taffyta as she approached the snow cone racer.

Snowanna shrugged, putting her glasses on "Hey, that's what I heard! I'm SURE Nelly will be back soon though! I mean, what kinda emergency can happen there that could last that lo-!"

Before Snowanna could even finish her sentence, she found herself and Swizzle being dragged out of the garage by an angry Taffyta, the strawberry racer leading both kids towards the grandstands.

"Hey hey hey! What's goin' on?!"

"I'm sure if anythin' is happenin', we can get a GOOD view from here!" Taffyta growled, climbing up the stairs to the stand. Swizz and Snowanna just looked at each other, a little humored that their friend was acting so annoyed at the moment.

"Come on girlie, just RELAX! Nelly should be back soon enough!"

Taffyta didn't say a word, her attention drawn towards something outside the game. Swizz knocked on the side of the stands, trying to get the racer's attention.

"Uh, didn't ya hear me? I said, Nelly should be back-!"

"GUYS. How big are the Nicelanders?" Taffyta ask, her voice rather hollow.

"Um, about a few inches shorter than us…." Snowanna answered "Why did ya wanna know?"

Taffyta turned, a wavering smile on her face as her eyes twitched "You MIGHT wanna take a look at this…"

The two racers climbed their way to the top of the grandstand and as they looked out towards the arcade, they got a grand view of one Nicelander Gene, fully visible in his 8-Bit form, being PULLED from the front doors of Niceland, a gaggle of other characters in front of them. Words could not DESCRIBE the stunned looks on the racers' face as they found that they were unable to look away.

They knew what was happening MUST have been horrible but as everyone knows, when such things happen, any normal person would be unable to look away. The two racer's jaws slacked and one could imagine they would hit the ground if they could.

Taffyta on the other hand could do nothing but smile, though her smile wasn't one of happiness.

"What was that about nothin' happenin' in Niceland?"

Snowanna's glasses slid from her face and landed with a clink on the ground, "I-Is that VANELLOPE pulling him?!"

It didn't take long for OTHER games in the arcade to catch wind of what was going on, especially those who could easily see the screen of the Fix-it-Felix cabinet but even the games that weren't in view of Fix-it-Felix soon found out, rumors spreading throughout the arcade like fire!

"Did ya hear?!" panted Mr. Pickle as he ran into Burger Time, out of breath from running through the station "Somethin' happened ta one of those Nicelanders!"

"Goodness! Which one?!" asked Peter, a little concerned upon hearing the news.

"Um, which one is that mayor? Ya know, da blue one dat looks like a kid wit a fake 'stache!"

"Ya mean Mayor Gene!? What happened to him?!"

"Gene, Gene, Gene…." Tomato hummed to herself "Oh YEAAAAH! I severed tha lil guy a few nights back!"

"**_LITTLE?_** HA!" laughed Pickle, holding his sides "Ya won't think that when ya see him!"

* * *

It would have been helpful having the many characters who knew what was happening aiding Felix and the others at the moment as the group was quickly running out of steam from pulling Gene.

"H-Hold on!" panted Felix, sliding down on the grass "I-I need ta rest!"

"W-we can't give up now!" Vanellope said, just as tired "I mean, what are the players gonna think if he's stuck here all weekend! There gonna come in an' go '**_BWHOA!_** Why is tha lil guy Ralph throws **_BIG_**?! An' stuck in tha door!? An' angry lookin'?! AND-!?"

"_Please stop talking…_" Gene groaned, his face planted on the ground.

"Well, it's not **_MY_** fault he's still stuck! That's for sure!" shouted a character.

"What do ya mean?! **_I'M_** doing most of the work!" shouted another.

Felix stood up, trying his best to calm the restless crowd "People, people! Please, this is NO time to be fightin'!"

"We wouldn't be FIGHTING if someone hadn't super-sized the Nicelander!" snapped an agitated character.

"HEY!" Gene bellowed, pointing towards the smaller characters "Don't act like this is my fault! I had NO idea things would get this out of hand!"

A small character, a little red blob of a thing, hopped its way over to Gene, snarling angrily "Then whose fault is it, MAYOR?! I don't see anyone else here who could have caused this!"

Gene growled, his face turning red again "I told you! It wasn't my fault! I-!"

Before the Nicelander could say anything else, the character gave the huge Nicelander a nice kick in the nose! Granted, it didn't HURT Gene considering how much larger he was but it still stunned him a bit, the large man putting a hand to his rosy nose.

"**_OH!_**"

"HEY!" cried Felix, pulling the character away "There was no need for that! Now apologize!"

"Not until Gene does!" the red blob huffed.

"FOR WHAT?!" the mayor glared.

"For…for ALL of this!" the character spat "None of this would be happening if-!"

"LISTEN UP!" the mayor shouted, fed up with all the yelling that was directed towards him "I don't know HOW many times it will take for the message to get through that gelatinous skull of yours, but I! DIDN'T! WANT! THIS! TO! HAPPEN! I JUST-!"

"THERE HE IS!" someone shouted from the distance.

Everyone stopped in their tracks as they looked towards the tunnel of the game, seeing a wave of several characters running in, only to stop and look up in utter shock once they were a yard away from Gene!

"So it's TRUE!"

"WOW! HE IS HUGE!"

"Yeah, this is JUST what we needed…." Vanellope whispered, backing away towards Felix.

One of the station hands ran up from the crowd, a camera in hand "Oh, I HAVE to get pictures of this! Wait until we get a news report on this!"

Gene flinched at the camera flash, lifting up a hand to cover his eyes "Urgh! Will there ever be a time when I DON'T end up in the paper?!"

"W-Wait, **_HOLD UP!_**" Felix stammered, trying in vain to get everyone to stop flooding into the game "We don't need all of this! If ya wanna do somethin', HELP ME GET HIM OUT!"

"GAH! Too late Felix! The onslaught has arrived!" Vanellope cried, getting buried in the legion of characters.

"Wow! Is his code damaged?!" asked a character, getting much too close to Felix for the repairman's comfort.

"N-No! That's not it!" stammered Felix "I-I mean, I'm HOPIN' that's not it so-!"

"So there is somethin' wrong with the game?! Is your cabinet on its last leg?!"

"Wait, WHAT!? NO!" by now Felix was lost for words, unable to think of anything to say with all the questions being thrown towards him "O-Our cabinet is FINE! Its just-!"

"It's just that something has happened to one of your characters and this time, you CAN'T fix it!"

The repair man was turning pale, this words trapped in his throat "I-I n-n-never said I couldn't fi-!"

"How are you going to reverse this?!"

"What are you going to do?!"

"Will he ever turn back?!"

"How does it feel to put everyone in danger?!"

The camera flashes, the constant talking, it was all getting to Gene and not in the best way. He could only lay on the lawn, unable to think of anything to do as people continued to swarm around him and everyone else in Niceland, questions flying everywhere!

It was too much! It was just too much!

"**_STOP!_**" the mayor yelled in anger, pulling forward a bit and forgetting that he was still stuck "WILL YOU GUYS LEAVE US ALONE?! I DIDN'T WANT ANY OF THIS TO HAPPEN! I DIDN'T WANT IT TO HAPPEN!"

"Watch out! Some of the building is comin' down!" someone cried from afar, doing nothing to help in the situation and only causing Gene to start glitching again, the short spurts adding to the damage that was already done in the apartment.

As expected, the onlookers were in shock as they witnessed the Nicelander glitching and growing before them, having never witnessed anything as such before!

"Get outta tha way!" shouted one of the angel twins "Ya know ya won't come back if ya get squished in here!"

Inside, the Nicelanders huddled around Ralph in fear, the building starting to come down around them!

"Oh, I didn't think we'd be BURIED in this place!" cried Deanna, grabbing a hold of Ralphs' leg in fear.

"Gene! CALM DOWN!" Ralph yelled from inside "THE MORE WORKED UP YOU ARE, THE BIGGER YOU GET!"

"I-! CAN'T-!" the man shouted, his fingers digging into the ground, his mind in a frenzy now!

Ralph jumped forward, taking a hold of Gene's left foot and trying to pin it down "Darn it Gene, SNAP OUTTA IT!"

"LET ME GO!" the man roared from outside, accidentally kicking back and sending Ralph into the wall.

"Watch it!" cried a fighter "HE'S GONE ON THE WARPATH!"

"Oooh, there's GOT to be some way to prevent this from getting worse!" said Mary, noticing that there was a window that had broken just enough for her to climb out. The woman darted from the others, Nel reaching out for her.

"MARY! DON'T GO OUT THERE!"

Gene was too scared to move, knowing that if he did he'd put everyone that was still inside in danger but he could feel some of the building give way around him. There was nothing more that he could do and even worse, he knew there was no one out there who could help him.

"GENE!"

The man opened his eyes, surprised to see Mary standing before him, a look of deep concern on her face.

"_M-Mary?_" the man said in a weak voice "_H-how did you-!?_"

Despite the others' fears, the little pink Nicelander boldly took a step forward, approaching the man and patting him softly on his nose.

"Honey, please calm down…." She said gently

Gene shook his head, blushing again "I'm trying but everyone-!"

"Ignore them!" Mary shouted, her voice strong "Don't listen to a word they have to say! Just focus on getting out!"

"Um, lady. We're still here."

"HUSHA!" the little Nicelander shot towards the crowd, her brows furrowing in anger. She didn't want to hear a word from the group, all her focus centered on her fiancé. Seeing the man looking so worried pained the woman and she knew she had to do whatever it took to bring him back down to a level of calmness where he could actually think straight. She sighed, a warm smile appearing on her face as she looked right into Gene's eyes.

"Do you need me to sing our song?" she said sweetly.

"SING?!" the man bellowed, his voice breaking "WHY WOULD I SING IN A TIME LIKE TH-?!"

Mary only shushed the man, the others looking on in shock. Apparently she knew what she was doing "Gene…please. You know that always calms you down."

The Nicelander gulped, realizing that perhaps Mary had more control over the situation than he first thought "I-if you think so, dear."

Mary nodded, her smile still on her face.

"_We lay like lovers in warm embrace…_" Mary began, her voice shaking a bit but the words flowed strong "_Your kisses thrill me like no one before..._"

"Wait…I've heard that song before!" Felix said, walking next to Vanellope "Didn't one of your friends sing that at our wedding?!"

Vanellope's eyes widened as the notes hit her ears "Oh my Gobs! Yeah! Snowanna sung it! I-I didn't know Ms. Mary knew it!"

"Feeling better?" the Nicelander asked, placing a hand on Gene's large fingers. Gene only nodded, his cheeks blushing bright.

"D-Do you think this is gonna work?" the candy racer asked, her hopes rising for something good to happen.

"Let's hope so!" the repairman responded, holding onto Vanellope's hand in caution.

"_Baby, I'm all yours, living just for you…_" Mary continued with a smile on her face, her voice angelic.

The loud pounding of Gene's heart began to subside, the man finally calming down. In that short act, the man felt safer, no longer distracted by the stares and murmurs of the onlookers surrounding him.

"Gene, come on. You love this song." Mary smiled, patting his cheek again.

"I-I don't think I can…" Gene stuttered.

"Oh, I know you can sweetie!" the woman twittered softly "Can you do it…for ME at least?"

Gene couldn't help but feel even more embarrassed with Mary asking him to SING in front of such a large crowd but with the situation as hectic as it was, joining his love in a song was the least he could do at the moment. He drew back a breath and exhaled, forcing himself to forget that there were so many people around him.

His mind was on Mary and only Mary.

"_I-I can see the moonlight, sh-shining through the mist…._" Gene sang, albeit nervously.

Mary nodded, encouraging him to keep going as she joined in "_The moonbeams playing over you and me…_"

"Is this really happening?" Don said, astounded as he looked through the window.

"Unless we've all passed out from drinkin' too much skittle vodka again, then YES. THIS is DEFINITELY happening!" piped in Tony, a little nervous chuckle escaping him.

Back with the couple, the two continued the song "_I see the light of love, shining in your eyes…._"

They then stopped, silence filling the area.

"Now are you okay?" Mary smiled.

Gene nodded, biting his lip "Y-Yeah. I think so…"

"Then let's try one more time…." The woman said, walking before Gene "Just be careful not to hurt yourself…"

Gene sat up as best he could, his stomach squeaking around the doorframe as he struggled, a few more windows cracking around him "I don't know if that's possible!"

"Gene…" Mary's voice came out strong this time, as if she was confident that Gene would be able to get out "Don't struggle. Just move forward."

Despite his own misgivings for the situation, the mayor knew that Mary was right. He nodded, easing up a bit as he closed his eyes and breathed out.

"_Don't struggle! Struggling will only make things worse!_" he said to himself. The huge Nicelander drew back a deep breath, sucking in his stomach as best he could and pulled forward again "Come on, come on! I just want this to end!"

The building creaked loudly from the force but miraculously, Gene wasn't pulling it so much that any great damage was done. He budged a little, inching to freedom slowly.

"It's working!" Meg cried happily.

"Yes, YES! That's it!" Mary cheered, guiding Gene forward, the others moving out of the way as she approached "Don't stop now! It's working!"

His eyes still shut, the Nicelander continued to lurch forward, everyone who was still out on the lawn backing away in caution. With Mary's sweet words of encouragement going through his head, Gene felt that the roadblock that had been put before him was slowly disappearing! He only had a little way to go to freedom!

"Almost there! ALMOST-!"

There was a rather loud, sharp* POP!* as Gene finally came free from the door, the man falling forward on his face and shaking the ground as he did so, knocking everyone off their feet. For a moment or two, he lay still on the grass, a small moan the only thing that could be heard from him.

"I-is he dead?" asked a character.

"Why would you ask THAT when you just heard him MOAN?!"

The Nicelander slowly lifted his head up to give himself a view of what was happening around him but as he expected, he was quickly swamped by other characters, each one talking over the other in an attempt to be the first to find out WHAT exactly had happened.

"So did you REALLY steal mushrooms from Mario or did you take something from another game?!"

"Did those viruses come back?! Did they mess with you code?!"

"How does it feel knowing that you've wrecked this building almost as good as Ralph?!"

Gene felt like a deer in headlights as everyone continued to move closer to him. He wanted nothing more than to run and hide from everyone but being as big as he was, where could he go where he COULDN'T be spotted, especially in a game as limited as his?

"I-I don't know!" the man wailed, falling forward and putting his hands on his head "This-! This just HAPPENED, okay?!"

"Alright! ALRIGHT!" yelled Felix, getting much angrier than anyone had seen him "Look, I'm very well aware that there is a situation goin' on right now but ya guys aren't makin' things better by hoverin' around us like flies!"

Felix turned back towards Niceland, sighing as he inspected the damage "Unless ya guys wanna stick around an' HELP me clean this mess up, I would advise that ya start packin' an' LEAVE GENE ALONE! He has enough on his mind tryin' ta figure out how to reverse this! We don't need anyone makin' things WORSE!"

The crowd looked at each other, the message going through loud and clear. A few apologies were made as the characters began to disperse, a few of them staying behind to help clean up the mess that was scattered all over the neighborhood.

"Wow…" Vanellope smirked "Go Felix!"

With the feeling of prying eyes off of him Gene sat up, but as he did so he finally realized just how MUCH of a change his point of view had gone through.

Everything seemed so far away now, as if all his neighbors had been miniaturized but the mayor was well aware that THEY hadn't changed.

HE was the one who had gone through a change, and a rather BIG one at that!

He scanned the area, his mind still trying to make sense of everything that had happened but as he turned and looked behind himself ONE sight in particular hit him rather hard.

Niceland.

Gene could only look in shock at how much damage the building has gone through and even though one would have thought the chubby mayor would be USED to seeing the building damaged, it wasn't just the condition the building was in that had thrown him for a loop.

It was WHO had put the building in such a dire state and it wasn't Ralph.

Gene himself was the one who had put his neighbors in danger and nearly destroyed the building!

He couldn't deny it; he HAD done worse than Ralph had ever done on his thirty years on the job and at least the wrecker had an EXCUSE!

But the mess that Gene had made? It WAS his fault!

EVERYTHING was his fault.

Felix looked up, seeing the look of pain on Gene's face and without thinking twice the repair man walked up and patted Gene on the leg, seeing as that was as high as his reach could go.

"Hey Genie….ya gonna be okay?"

The man groaned as he buried his face in his hands, much too humiliated to talk to ANYONE at the moment.

"You know, the only thing that would make this PERFECT is if I HAD exploded like the kid said!"


	9. Chapter 9-Blast Processing

Chapter Nine- Blast Processing

A clean-up was well away in Niceland. Nicelander and other characters alike were trying their best to make sure that the game looked spick and span for the oncoming work day.

"Geeze…." Felix said to himself, busy mending one of the many holes in the apartment "I wonder if Mario ever goes through stuff like this when someone gets a hold of one of those mushrooms of his…."

"Speak for yourself!" laughed Vanellope, glitching her way through the mess "I doubt MARIO ever had ta deal with anything THIS BIG before!" the girl then pointed off towards the distance, her finger aimed right at a rather large figure who was seated on the lawn, worry plastered all over his face.

Who was this figure?

None other than the mayor of Niceland itself, Nicelander Gene.

Or to put a better, a nearly three story Nicelander Gene.

The chubby mayor just sat in silence near the trees, his eyes focused downwards and his mind still on what he had caused in the past hour. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Niceland nor the rest of his neighbors after what he had done!

"_Wow, Genie…you REALLY got yourself into trouble this time…."_ the man thought to himself, sighing heavily afterwards.

"Don't look so glum, solider!" called up the teasing voice of a familiar space marine "Take advantage of the view you have now!"

Gene grumble to himself before peering down at Calhoun; he knew the woman was trying to make him feel better but after everything he went through, it was going to take more than a few SMALL jokes to bring him out of his mood

"Trust me young lady, I would enjoy this 'view' if it didn't come at the cost of putting everyone in danger…" the man mumbled, turning to the side and giving a pout.

"Danger? Naaaah!" the sergeant replied, a smile on her face "I know you too well Genie! You have enough grace ta keep from stepping on someone!"

"Don't even SAY that!" the mayor shivered, turning back towards the woman, worry written on his face "It MIGHT happen if you keep joking like that!"

Calhoun shook her head as she looked up at the worried Nicelander; maybe she had laid it on a bit too thick but it wasn't like seeing a giant Nicelander scared the woman. She had fought Cybugs who were MUCH bigger than the mayor was so seeing him so LARGE didn't scare her the slightest.

SURPRISE her maybe, but scare her? Not at all!

Another glance at the mayor brought the message home to her though. She could tell Gene was concerned about what was going on, VERY concerned!

She then looked down, seeing that throughout the entire ordeal, Mary had remind by his side, the small Nicelander in pink still standing next to Gene, looking more than worried. With that act of dedication, one would have to be blind NOT to see how much Mary cared for Gene. The sight brought a small smile to Calhoun's face but at the same time, she knew if she wanted to make things better for the two, she would have to figure out a way to return Gene to normal!

"Hey, don't fret big guy!" the woman said, her voice strong "Mousey here will find SOME way ta bring ya back down to your lil munchkin size!"

"P-Please see that you do!" the mayor stuttered, stooping down to the two Hero's Duty characters "N-Not to rush you, but what's going to happen later this morning?! This is STILL a work day!"

Mouse looked up at the giant Nicelander, a little unnerved at how close he was to her. She clutched her laptop and scooted back a bit, her nervous smile the only thing visible on her face.

"H-H-Hey, ease up there Mr. Mayor!" the cadet said, clearly VERY uncomfortable "I'm still doin' a check on your coding and so far the ACK-!"

Before Mouse could even finish her sentence, she felt the pull of the man's fingers LIFTING her off the ground by her collar, meeting the Nicelander face to face.

"Yes, YES?! DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING!" Gene shouted.

"Dear! Put the young lady down!" Mary shouted, running over and smacking Gene on his fingers.

"I-Its okay ma'am!" Mouse laughed "I-I'm used to hangin' several feet off the ground!"

Calhoun approached the two, her eyes on her cadet "Okay Mousey, what did ya find?"

"Well, according ta what the kid told me, Mayor Gene here came into contact with some power-ups from Sugar Rush, right? And due to the influx of them working at once, there's some sort of slow-down in his ability to process them!"

Gene shook his head "I know, I KNOW! But can you tell us when this is going to end?! Or better yet, can you reverse it?!"

"I'm gettin' ta that!" shouted Mouse, a little peeved "Listen Mayor. Don't take this as an insult or anything, but since your game is….is…..well…."

Mouse looked at Gene before gazing down at Mary. The two Nicelanders KNEW what the woman was going to say.

"**_OLD?_**" both Nicelander said simultaneously, creeping the Hero's Duty character out a bit.

"Well…I was going to say RETRO but you said it first!"

"So my hubby's game is old. What does THAT have to do with anything?" asked Calhoun.

Mouse prepared to say something but then looked back at Gene, pointing towards the ground.

"Oh. Sorry…." The mayor chuckled, embarrassment in his voice.

Gene lowered Mouse back on the lawn as gently as he could, the woman quickly darting back to Calhoun.

"AS I WAS SAYING….the processing power of this place is YEARS behind Sugar Rush so that means that five minuet time frame Vanellope told you about? It ain't gonna happen here!"

"So what's going to happen instead?" Calhoun asked, looking back at Mouse's laptop.

The cadet began to type away, showing her commanding officer the stats "HOPEFULLY, the only thing that SHOULD happen is that those things are going to take a LOT longer to work their way through the Nicelander's code!"

"Y-you mean-?!" Gene gasped, paling a bit "THIS ISN'T OVER?! THOSE THINGS ARE STILL WORKING?!"

Mouse once again backed away from Gene, nearly going right into Calhoun's arms. Detecting this, the Sergeant pushed Mouse forward, a reassuring look on her face.

"Honey, he couldn't hurt a fly. He's not going to starting hurting anyone now…."

Mouse scowled a bit, "Just not takin' any chances. Ya know how I feel about getting' STOMPED."

"Dear, what was this about the power-ups still working on Gene?" Mary spoke up, looking up at the two women.

"Yeah, hate to tell ya guys but…but Mr. Mayor here? He's still, ahem, he's still gettin' bigger…"

Hearing the words made Gene's heart skip a beat; he just couldn't believe it. He had thought that the worse was over when he finally got himself free from the door but to hear that he was still under the effects of the power up…and that things could only get BIGGER from here?

Yup, Gene needed a drink. Too bad he was too big to get one!

"Gracious!" Mary gasped, looking up at her fiancé, noticing that he was spacing out a bit "If he's not going to remain this size, how much larger could he get?!"

"Who knows…" Mouse said "With the way Gene's code is acting, he might go well beyond the intended height that he should have become from falling on FOUR of those things…but if we're lucky, his code might be able to catch up and process the data from the power-ups again, thus making their time limit run out and-!"

"And I can be back to normal again?!" Gene finished, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Yeah…" Mouse replied, though she turned away, putting a hand on Calhoun's shoulder "Hopefully…"

Her back still turned to the Nicelanders, Mouse did something that made a chill run up Calhoun's spine.

She raised her goggles.

That sign.

Whenever Mouse took off her goggles or her glasses, something big was going to happen.

"Mouse, what do you have?" the sergeant asked, making sure that Mouse's face remained hidden.

"_Sarge, I'm still worried about how Gene's code took in all that power. Somethin' isn't right here._"

Calhoun lowered her head, "_Well, things seem to be running smoothly enough!_"

"_I'm glad that it is, and I HOPE it stays that way but this isn't a situation we can leave unchecked. I mean, who knows how long that Nicelander could be like this! A few more hours, a few DAYS! A WEEK!_" The woman said, her voice very serious "_My computer is showing different stats for everything and I don't know what could happen NEXT!"_

Much too serious for the Nicelanders' liking.

"W-what do you think they're saying?" Mary whispered, backing up towards Gene.

Gene tried to listen in; Mouse might have done a well enough job to keep MARY from hearing her but the now massive Nicelander was able to pick up SOME of the things the woman was telling Calhoun.

And from what little he heard, Gene was not happy. He scowled a bit, raising to his feet and walking over to the two soldiers.

"Excuse me!" the mayor said in a rather annoyed tone, his hands on his sides "Considering this is something that effects ALL of us here, I would very much like to know what is going on, thank you very much!"

Mouse let out a squeak as she noticed the mayor was once again trying to stoop down to her level, quickly lowering her goggles as she turned around to face him. She growled a bit as she held up her hands.

"For cryin' out LOUD! I'm just tryin' to make sure nothin' else happens here, OKAY!?"

"I can understand that, young lady…." The mayor sneered, his eyes narrowing "But if I might remind you, I AM the mayor of this game and if there is something important going on, it is necessary that you tell me! ESPECIALLY SINCE IT HAS TO DO WITH ME!"

Mouse stood on her tip-toes, giving Gene a threatening glare; she was doing the best that she could! She didn't need some GIANT making her work any harder!

Calhoun couldn't help but chuckle at the sight and she pulled Mouse away "Listen Gene, Mouse is just concerned that your code or the hard-drive of this game might not be able to process all the data! We're not trying to keep you in the dark, but we just don't want you to get TOO panicked!"

Mouse moved forward "Just to be certain because of that, did anything else happen in this game when all of this calamity began?"

Gene looked down at himself, putting his hands on his chest "Well….aside some when I was glitching, everything appeared normal."

"Aside from when you were glitching?" the cadet asked, taking another step forward "Do tell…."

Gene sat back on the ground "Well, whenever I glitched, it was like this shocking pain shot through my entire body!"

"Mmm-hmmm…" the cadet nodded "Go on…."

"And…other than feeling pain whenever I grew, nothing else happened here!"

"No one else did anything? No glitching from the other characters?"

Gene shook his head, "No…I've been the only one that's been affected since this ordeal began!"

Mouse rubbed her chin, her brain going into HARD THOUGHT-MODE!

"That a bad sign?" asked Calhoun.

"Actually…that's a GOOD sign!" Mouse said in a bright tone "I mean, Gene going through PAIN. That's BAD on his part but to hear that no one else was affected….maybe….maybe this will run a lot smoother than I thought!"

"Nice to know YOU think so…" Gene groaned "I'm still HUGE and could possibly get BIGGER? That doesn't sound so good to me!"

"Hey, relax Mr. Mayor!" Mouse called up with a smile "If it make you feel any better, this entire glitching thing seems to happen most often when you get upset so…."

"So, what I think the young lady is saying is you better keep calm…" Mary said, trying her best to put a bit of light in Gene's mind thought try as she might, the mayor was still concerned "Look dear. I know…I know what's going on ISN'T something I would expect ANYONE to remain calm about but for you safety, its best that you do! I just…I just don't want you to be in anymore pain!"

Hearing everything about processing, about data, about slow-down, it was all starting to swirl in Gene's mind. He didn't want to hear any of that; he just wanted to return to normal and he wanted to return to normal NOW, as not to put anyone else in danger!

But if anything, it was how Mary was reacting to this that really put him on edge. While she had done an outstanding job in keeping much calmer than Gene was in the situation, there was no guess that she was beside herself with worry. After all, this was HER fiancé that had been transformed into such an extraordinary state! It was her love who's very code was on the line.

She LOVED Gene and to see him like this was more than she could stand but she knew she had to stay strong.

Gene looked down at Mary, the very sight of her breaking his pixel heart. Being as careful as he could, he placed a finger atop her head.

"Oh Mary…I'm sorry…"

Mary simply took Gene's finger and held it warmly "You have nothing to be sorry about, Gene. Just hope that this will be over a lot sooner than we have been told…."

Gene nodded but he then moaned, slouching as he sat on the grass "I'm trying to figure out which was worse. The time I was turned into a virus…OR THIS!"

The mayor then heard a glitching sound and for a second, he thought it was his own code again but he looked down, seeing the grinning face of Vanellope Von Schweetz looking up at him.

"Well, as a virus, ya COULD kill an' infect people! I think that's WAY worse than just bein' a tad overgrown!" the girl smiled from ear to ear, still more impressed than scared to see something bigger than RALPH before her.

"_You're runnin' a bit too much at the mouth, kid…_" Ralph said, running up behind her and hoping she wouldn't say something to aggravate the situation.

"A TAD?!" the mayor exclaimed "You call this-?!" He looked down at himself, still a little unnerved over what was happening "You call this a TAD overgrown!"

"Meh, to each his own…." The racer shrugged "I still think it would be kinda cool ta be that big!"

Gene put a hand to his forehead "Urgh, come back to me after you get stuck in a DOOR and we'll discuss how FUN it is, MISSY!"

"Okay, I can sense things aren't getting any better around here…" Calhoun said, shaking her head. She then pointed down at Vanellope "YOU better get to bed young lady. You've already been through enough an' ya KNOW it's a work night!"

"Aw, but Sarge!" Vanellope whined.

"Ah-bah-bah! You heard me! Giant Nicelander or NO giant Nicelander, you're still on the roster!"

"I'll let Sticky or someone else take my place!" the racer pouted, stamping her feet on the grass "This is somethin' I can't miss! I mean, it's not every day someone **_GIGANTORS_** a Nicelander!"

"**_YOUNG LADY!_**" Gene boomed, his brows furrowing and his face turning a bit red. The racer let out a squeak as she glitched behind Ralph. Apparently the wrecker's warning was correct.

"_Told ya…._"

Once more, Gene felt the looks of everyone prying into him. It was a feeling he ABSOLUTELY hated but he knew he wasn't making anything better by getting angry at people. He crossed his arms across his chest and let out a huff, the side of his mustache twitching.

"**SORRY.**"

"So how long with the program last again?" asked Ralph.

"Unless Gene's code manages to get back in sync, the longest this could last is…maybe a week?" Mouse said, hoping she hadn't offended the large Nicelander.

"A week?" Gene mumbled, burying his face in his hands "**A FREAKIN' ****_WEEK!?_**"

"Honey, calm down!" Mary said "You heard that Calhoun and Mouse said! You're going to make things worse at this rate!"

"I'm sorry dear but…." the Nicelander stopped, a pained look on his face "How can we work around this?! How can I be part of the game?!"

"Don't fret, Gene! We'll figure somethin' out!" Felix in a reassuring tone.

"Something?! I know my job isn't the BEST here but…but kids are going to know something is off if Ralph doesn't have something to throw or if I don't get blown out the window!" the Nicelander said, panicking a bit "A-and if they notice that, what else would they notice?! Ma-maybe they'll think the game is SKIPPING or something and then they'll go to Litwak and tell him something is wrong and then we'll get put OUT OF ORDER AGAIN AND IT'LL BE THANK TO-!"

"GENE!" Mary yelled at the top of her voice "GOODNESS GRACIOUS! Lie down or something!"

The mayor remembered what the others had told him and he quickly took in a deep breath, holding it for a moment before exhaling. He HAD to remain calm, otherwise-!

GLITCH!

Otherwise he would trigger another spurt.

Gene felt a twinge of pain running up his spine "GAH!"

"WHOA!" cried Ralph as he grabbed Vanellope and moved out of the way, just as a few more inches were added onto the Nicelander's height.

"I told you that would happen!" Mary said sadly.

Mouse just stood STUNNED at what she witnessed "If we weren't in an E-rated game, I would have some words to say about THAT!"

"DON'T."

Gene stood nervously before everyone, looking down at his hands once more; wonderful. JUST wonderful. He had proved to everyone in the game that not only was he incompetent enough to allow himself to get his own code corrupted but he couldn't even follow directions in order to keep the very thing that was inflicting him from happening!

This was just not the mayor's day.

"M-maybe we can put in a new bonus stage. Wreck Nicelander-ZILLA." The man mumbled.

Ralph and Vanellope exchanged glances for a second, a little shocked at what Gene had just said. The wrecker could just tell that the mayor was feeling awful inside but he had no clue as to what to do to make him feel better.

"D-Don't feel that way, pal!" the wrecker chuckled, although he did so nervously "We all can't be perfect an' we all make mistakes!"

"BIG MISTAKES!" Vanellope grinned, not helping in the matter.

Calhoun put her face in her palm "NELLY."

"Look, don't worry about tha games later on today! We can still function an' that's all that matters!" Felix said, walking up to his friend.

Gene didn't say a word and instead gave Felix the most pathetic look he had ever seen come on the mayor's face, only making Felix even more nervous.

"O-o-or maybe we CAN put ya in the game!" Ralph blurted without thinking "Y-Yeah! It can be a bonus stage within a bonus stage!"

Ralph turned his back away from Gene, the ideas already flowing in his brain.

"Yeah! How about we have the players try to see how many bench presses I can do with ya! They might like that!"

Vanellope looked back, ducking a bit as something caught her eyes "Uh…Ralph?"

"Or maybe, we can have a FINAL BOSS level in the game!" the wrecker said brightly. He was on a roll now! Ideas were coming to him left and right! "YES! I could fight you off in a final level! It could be 'The revenge of the Nicelanders!' and the story could be…'After getting tired of being thrown from the window, Mayor Nicelander Gene went to one of his Nicelander pals to concoct a formula to make him strong enough to be Ralph! But something went wrong and-!"

"RALPH!" Vanellope yelled, pulling hard on the man's hair.

"OW! What is i-?!"

Thankfully, the HUGE shadow draping over the man snapped the wrecker out of his creative mood. Ralph only had to look UP to realize that perhaps he had gone a bit too far with some of his ideas for now Gene was GLARING down at him, the huge Nicelander's blue eyes cutting through him coldly.

Yeah, Ralph had said too much.

"So…" Gene said, his voice pit deep and a creepy smile appearing on his face "Is THAT how you want things to work out now?"

Ralph held up his hands, backing away a bit "N-Now, GENE. I was just tryin' to lighten things up, ya know?"

The Nicelander took ONE threatening step towards Ralph, his footsteps BOOMING.

"WELL, NICE SEEIN' YA RALPH! ITS TIME FOR ME TA GO TO BED!" Vanellope said, jumping right off the man's shoulders.

"I have to say, YOUNG MAN. Those ideas of yours WERE rather interesting!" Gene chuckled deeply "In fact, why don't we try one of them out NOW?"

"W-what do you mean?" stammered Ralph.

Without so much as a word, Gene lowered a hand, curled back his fingers….

And FLICKED Ralph in the woods.

"**_GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!_**"

***CRASH!***

"Oh my goodness, RALPH!" cried Felix, the man running back towards the woods.

Vanellope didn't know whether to be UPSET or just IMPRESSED to see Ralph catching so much air "Wow! It was a good idea to jump when I did!"

"OOOH! GENE!" Mary growled as she looked up at the still grumping Nicelander "WHAT DID YOU GO AND DO THAT FOR?!"

The Nicelander just looked down at his fiancé, still a little miffed but noticeably less so "Trust me darling when I say that ONE act calmed me down just enough!"

Mary didn't say a word and instead decided to show her response by KICKING Gene in his foot, though he man didn't feel a thing.

"See, this is why I DIDN'T want to make him angry…" Mouse said to Calhoun, shaking her head.

As the Hero's Duty soldiers prepared to leave, Felix and Vanellope continued to run in the forest, calling out for their lost friend.

"RALPH! RALPH! C'mon, stink brains, where are ya?!" the little racer called, her hands cupped over her mouth.

There was a faint moan a few yards ahead of the two "R-right here!"

"Oh, thank programmers!" Felix cried in jubilation, bouncing ahead, only to find that in his 'flight' Ralph had sailed through several trees before coming to a stop right in the middle of one!

"OH! GOSH!" Vanellope said, whistling "I haven't seen anyone take a crash like this since…well, since the time **_I_** busted through Rocky Road Canyon! It took the guys FIVE HOURS to get me unstuck from a wall!"

Pixelated birds of pain swirled over Ralph's head, the man managing to pry himself from the tree before landing on his butt, the tree falling in front of him with a mighty crash.

"Hey Ralph? Ya okay, brother?" asked Felix, looking over the man in worry.

Ralph swatted at the birds, missing each time he swung his huge hands "Urgh, I think Gene broke my throwin' record!"


	10. Chapter 10- Caught

Chapter Ten- Caught

The sun was beginning to rise once more in Litwak's arcade. Because of all the excitement that had happened earlier, there were many a character who were up and about, yammering on and on about the latest episode that had happened in Fix-it-Felix Jr.

Of course, when a character known for being a SHRIMP is enlarged to nearly ten times his own height, how can one NOT talk about it?

There was one person however who had not been informed of the happenings that had gone down a mere three games away. In fact, that person was still sound asleep, deep in a wonderful dream.

"Mmmmm….deep fried French Fry cake…." A little candle-headed racer sighed in her sleep, food once again the main topic of her fantasies.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Candlehead!"

The little girl stirred, much too deep in sleep to even hear the sound "O-oh yes…all tha chocolate ya can pour! LEMME AT IT!" she smiled, grabbing her pillow and shoving it in her mouth, munching on it.

"CANDLEHEAD!"

Again, no reply.

The goofy racer continued to gnaw on her pillow "Th-this cake is a bit TOO fluffy…but I dun care!"

*ONE! TWO! ONE TWO THREE FOUR! UP UP AND GRAB THOSE SWEET STARS! SWEEEEEEEEET STYLING TROUGH THE AIR-!*

THAT got her up!

Upon hearing the BLASTING tones of her phone next to her, Candlehead awoke with a start, falling over on the floor and landing so hard that her phone fell from the dresser right onto her face with a *SMACK!*.

"_Ooooow….._"

Rubbing her face, the girl reached for her phone "Hello?"

"Why HELLO, sweetie!" called the voice on the other end "Would you mind letting ME in?"

Candlehead looked around, a might confused as to what was happening "Er, mind tellin' me who this is?"

"GAH!" growled the voice on the other end "Candlehead! IT'S VANELLOPE!"

"Vanellope?" the girl blinked "Why are ya callin' me so early? Ya know ya could have just KNOCKED!"

After Vanellope had finally been let into the little candy cottage, she wasted no time in informing Candlehead what had happened. Of course, the only reason Vanellope was going about telling everyone was because she was just too excited over what had happened. She knew better than to blabber but when one is faced with such EXCITING news, it's hard not to tell anyone! Besides, she was PRESIDENT of Sugar Rush! It was her DUTY to inform her citizens that there was a new giant character in the arcade, even if the character wasn't EXACTLY new!

"He….HE **_WHAT?!_**" Candlehead gasped, shocked at what had happened.

"Yup! Thanks to those power-ups of yours, Mayor Gene is now…like **_MEGA MAYOR GENE!_**" the raven hair racer laughed "Didn't I say that eatin' all those sweets would make him as big as tha apartments?"

The racer continued to giggle but one look at Candlehead made her stop. The cake-themed racer looked less then pleased at the news she had just been given. In fact, the little racer was VERY upset!

"Er, C-Butt? You okay?"

Candlehead shook her head angrily, her little hands balled into fist near her chest "Oh my GOBS! This is my fault!"

Vanellope jumped back in her seat, a little surprised to hear such words from her friend "Er, **_YOUR_** fault? How is this your-?!"

"Oh nooooo! If only I had put those power-ups somewhere SAFE! N-none of this would have happened!" the girl sniffled, her eyes huge.

Whoops.

Perhaps Vanellope had made a mistake in taking the situation so lightly. Apparently, Candlehead was beside herself in worry over what had happened, especially since it was HER power-ups that had caused the mess to begin with. The raven-haired racer laughed nervously as she put a hand behind her head, trying her best to clear the air.

"C-Butt, C-Butt! C'mon! Its not your fault and-!"

"Oh! I bet he feels AWFUL!" the other racer blurted, looking around guiltily "I mean, I would too if I were big-i-fied!"

Vanellope arched an eyebrow "Really? Last week ya told me that if you were fifty feet tall, the first thing ya would do is eat your weight in cake…."

Candlehead's eyes darted to and from "….That is ta be kept between US….But I'm SERIOUS! I bet he's so mad at me!"

"He's not mad at anyone!" Vanellope assured "Well, he's mad at HIMSELF an' POSSIBLY Ralph because of somethin' that happened earlier, but I can assure you that Big Gene isn't gunnin' for ya!"

"Y-ya promise?" Candlehead sniffled, looking a tad pathetic.

"Candlehead….I PROMISE!"

Hearing the words from her friend made Candlehead a bit happier, her candle once again growing in light as a smile began to form on her face.

"W-well….so long as he's okay….I guess everythin' is fine, RIGHT?"

"Yup!" Vanellope beamed "Ms. Mouse said somethin' about his code bein' able to process the data slower but other than that, he should be fine!"

"Good!" Candlehead said gleefully "But…but I still feel like I should so somethin' for him!"

"Like what?" Vanellope asked, cocking her head to the left.

"Somethin'….somethin' that says 'Sorry Mr. Mayor Nicelander Gene for makin' ya huge.'!"

The other racer couldn't help but smile nervously as she patted Candlehead on the shoulder, guiding her out the door "Yeeeeah. Ya go ahead an' plan that kiddo….Just make sure it doesn't have anythin' ta do with power-ups, kay?"

* * *

"Okay, is everyrthing back in its place?" asked Ralph, looking around.

"Everythin' is fixed up as good as it's gonna get!" huffed Felix, a little tired from getting so little sleep.

"Good! The arcade is about to open so the last thing we need is somethin' else to get in the way!"

"Well…." The repairman said in a shaky voice "There is ONE thing we still have to take care of…."

The two men then looked off to the side, their eyes going towards the three-story tall Gene, the Nicelander looking down at his beloved Mary, his eyes filled with worry.

"Gene, please don't fret like this!" Mary said, trying her best to reassure the Nicelander "If you remain calm, you lower your chances of glitching again!"

"But how I can remain calm when I'm still like…." The Nicelander stopped, opening his arms just to show how LARGE he was at the moment "When I'm like THIS and we have a game to play?!"

Mary shook her head as she took hold of one of Gene's fingers "L-look, I can understand why you're upset but things aren't going to get any better if you keep worrying! You're only going to make yourself SICK!"

"_Or bigger…_" the man the man moaned "If the players get one look at me, then what? What are we going to do then?!"

Mary was lost on ideas for a moment, unsure what to tell her fiancé.

"Dear….I just…." The woman looked up at Gene, sadness in her eyes "I don't know…."

Gene turned a bit, pouting once more as he folded his arms against his chest. At first Ralph thought the mayor was being his usual stubborn self but he could tell there was something more to the man's behavior than he was letting on.

"_See? No matter which way we approach this, there's no good solution…_"

"Aw come on, Genie!" groaned Ralph, walking over to the large Nicelander "Mary's just tryin' ta help ya out here! Don't blame her for this!"

Gene quickly turned, glaring down at Ralph with a furious look on his face.

"Don't you **_DARE_** assume I'm mad at her!" snapped Gene, causing both Mary and Ralph to flinch "I'm just concerned about-!"

Suddenly, the familiar sound of the quarter drop echoed throughout the game. Gene stood still, the hair on the back of his neck rising in fear.

"_Already?!_"

"Time ta get into places, everyone!" called Felix, the repairman running to his spot.

Gene looked everywhere for any place to hide but as the second ticked away, he knew there was little places for such a large person to go to! He couldn't hide in the brick pile since the camera always panned through during the start-up animation.

Behind the building?

No, someone might see him through the holes Ralph punched in!

By East Niceland?

He might get in the way of the characters when they came in for the bonus stage!

"_Where to go, where to go?!_" the man thought to himself franticly, going back and forth like a trapped animal.

"GENE! HIDE!" Mary whispered, trying her best to sneak back into the apartments unnoticed.

Without thinking twice, Gene just DOVE headlong into the forest, missing the animation timing by mere seconds. Ralph could only give a quick glance as he watched Gene dive into the forest.

"_Whew, close shave!_"

Ralph then got into position, lifting his huge fist in the air.

"**I'M GONNA WRECK IT!**"

*DING!*

In came Felix, the smile on his face doing a good job in hiding his nervousness.

"**I CAN FIX IT!**"

And as usual, the work day went on like always for the Nicelanders though this time around, there was someone missing from the line-up.

Gene.

Without anyone to throw, Ralph could only bash his fist through the window and without anyone to blow up at the bonus-stage the explosion that usually happened just didn't have the same humor to it.

What's so funny about busting your first through a wall of setting of dynamite if there's no one to go 'NYAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!' when you do it?

Thankfully, the players didn't seem to complain about the absent Nicelander but even they could tell that something wasn't right. Deep down, they felt that was a small piece of the game missing. It wasn't as big as not seeing Ralph wreck or the other Nicelanders handing out pies.

But all the same, the game didn't feel as whole as they once remembered it.

"_Hmmm…._" Said Moppet, once again trying to beat her top score at the game "I was sure there was a lil guy who gets thrown here. Am I missing something?"

Throughout the entire day, Gene could do nothing more than sit in his own misery as he watched Felix and the others go about the daily routine, mere yards away from where all the action was taking place. The man could only think back to how things were in the past; years ago, he would have complained how much he hated being thrown but right now, being thrown didn't seem at all bad compared to what was happening now.

As he watched the others, it dawned on him how much he wanted to join them. He didn't even care if the only thing he did during gameplay was get thrown, hand out pies, and get blown up. There was just something about knowing that he was DOING something and HELPING others that made him feel so happy but now? Now he felt like he was a BURDEN to everyone, as if the wrong move could spell disaster. Gene made sure to remain off-screen all day but he couldn't help but take a peek at some of the players from the skybox, wondering just how they would react if they saw him like this.

"_I wonder if it would be THAT bad…._" He thought to himself, sighing heavily.

By two that afternoon, the action in the arcade began to die down a bit and with the mid-day lull came the perfect opportunity for Felix and the gang to take a break.

"Settle down everyone!" Felix chuckled "Looks like we can catch a breather!"

It was no surprise to anyone that Mary RAN out of the building as fast as she could, the only thing on her mind being Gene.

"Gene! Honey, down here!" the woman called as she ran towards the edge of the screen, a smile on her face. Seeing his love looking so happy towards him did manage to perk the mayor's feelings but he still approached her cautiously, as if he were scared he would step on her.

"H-Hello darling."

"Are you alright? You've been so quiet all morning!" the woman smiled.

"I-it's not like I had a choice in the matter…" Gene replied with a weak chuckle "I mean, I didn't want to distract the player!"

Gene then noticed the small bundle in Mary's hands, his curiosity peaked.

"Er, what's that?" the man asked.

Mary smiled brightly "I knew you've been out here long so…."

The woman pulled back the cloth covering, revealing a basket full of freshly baked pies! Gene was a bit surprised to say the least, the man blinking down at his fiancé.

"I knew you'd be hungry after all this time…" Mary beamed "So I brought you a little something."

"Come, come Mary!" Gene said, his tone surprisingly haughty this time "While I do appreciate the thought, I do believe that baking so many pies just for me is going a tad too far!"

"Oh BOO, Gene!" the woman laughed loudly "Don't' play so coy with me! I know you're hungry! You're ALWAYS hungry!"

Gene blushed a bit, his brows furrowing as he once again pouted "F-from the way you put it, you make me out to be some sort of GLUTTON!"

"Do you want the pies or not?" Mary asked "I mean, I could take them back inside if you want me to and-!"

"No, no, no, no!" the mayor cried out, reaching down and plucking the basket from his love's hands "I mean…THANK YOU, dear."

The pink Nicelander couldn't stop the smile that was forming on her face. Despite everything that was going on, she was just glad that some part of Gene was coming back. This however didn't stop her worrying. In the back of her mind, she was hoping that Gene's code would finally catch up and return to normal but she knew that perhaps she was asking for too much.

Gene on the other hand was asking for something a bit more filling. He looked down at the pies, the basket of baked goods looking more like several mini-tarts rather than proper pies but in his current condition, he had no room to complain. After all, Mary was right; he WAS hungry! He smiled warmly as he gave Mary a loving rub on the top of her head with a finger, the tiny Nicelander giggling sweetly.

"Thank you dear…."

The pies were of course delicious, their taste bringing a bit of happiness in Gene's heart. From afar, Felix smiled at the pair, his own worry fading a bit as he watched the two.

"Well, things are pretty strange, I can't deny that…" the repairman sighed warmly "But I'm just glad that those two are able to keep each other happy."

"Yeah…" Ralph snickered "But as long as Gene's this big, ya think **_HE_** can clean up the mess once the arcade closes? I mean, he's STRONG enough so it would only take him about a minuet tops to get rid of all the bricks!"

"_Raaaaalph…_" scolded Felix, a playful look on his face "Unless ya wanna end up in another tree-!"

*FWOOSH!*

Both Ralph and Felix jumped as they noticed a small bush in the distance suddenly erupting into mint-colored flames, a strange sight in Niceland.

"BWHOAH! What in tha world-?!" cried Felix, moving back.

Ralph sighed, placing a hand to his temple; he knew EXACTLY what the cause of the spontaneous eruption was.

"Hey KID!" the big man called "We already know you're here, so come on out!"

Felix looked a might confused. Just who was Ralph calling out to?

"Ralph, er, somethin' ya might wanna tell me?"

It only took a moment for the bush to be reduced to ashes and from behind that ash, huddled a small figure.

A figure in a candle-lit hat.

"Candlehead?"

The little racer whimpered as she peered up towards the two men, something clutched in her arms.

"_S-sorry…._"

"Say kid, what are ya doin' here?" asked Ralph, plucking the tiny racer off the ground "Aren't ya on the roster?"

"Y-Yeah…" Candlehead said in a meep "B-but after hearin' what happened ta Mr. Mayor Gene, I-I had ta come here!"

"Oh?" the wrecker said, an eyebrow arched "An' what brings ya all the way over here?"

Candlehead looked down towards the package she was still holding, clutching it a tad tighter "I-I just wanted to give Mr. Mayor Gene somethin' ta show I was sorry!"

Ralph couldn't help but smile; this kid. She was so worked up over what had happened she had gone out of her way to see that something be done to make it better, even if it meant sneaking out of the game to do it. The wrecker placed the little racer back on the ground, pushing her a bit towards Gene and Mary.

"Ya can't miss him…." The man chuckled "But be quick about it okay? I don't want ya missin' any races, ya hear?"

The candle-headed girl nodded as she began to run towards the two Nicelanders, but as she did so she continued to duck in and out of bushes, still a little nervous to approach the huge Nicelander. Once she was close enough she ducked behind another bush, only a few yards away from the two.

"I really do hope this ends soon…." Gene sighed "I mean, as interesting as it is to have a different point of view, it's still so…so awkward around you guys!"

Mary looked up "Awkward?"

"Y-yes!" nodded Gene "I'm worried about hurting you! You're all DOLL-SIZED to me now!"

"Darling, I think the best way to combat that is to NOT think about it." The Nicelander in pink twittered "Besides, the more you worry about it, the more likely it WILL happen."

Gene sighed, running his fingers through his hair "I-I guess you're right. I just don't need any more surprises to-!"

***_FWOOSH!_***

"GAH!" cried Gene, his eyes going right for the burning bush. Without even hesitating, the giant Nicelander quickly fanned the flames, putting them out and once again revealing Candlehead from her hiding spot.

"**OH!**" the mayor said, stunned "Candlhead?"

The racer peeked up at Gene, her face partly hidden by the box.

"Goodness dear, what are you doing here?" asked Mary as she approached the girl.

"I-! Um-! Well…." The girl said, shaking in her boots as she got a GOOD view of just how big Gene was.

She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe that someone could get THAT large from falling into power ups! At first, she thought she would be able to handle the sight of a massive Nicelander but now she was starting to take that thought back. She could only look up at Gene in fear, her knees shaking as she hands held tight onto the box. Fortunately, Gene could tell the child was nervous and quickly went about to calm her down.

"Hey, hey! It's okay! I'm not going to do anything!" the man said, reaching down towards the girl.

Big mistake.

Candlehead let out a scream, quickly running behind Ralph, both he and Felix going over to check on the group. The wrecker let out a surprised gasp as the child hid behind him.

"Whoa, kiddo! You okay there?"

The little racer shook her head no, "U-uh, yeah! I just-!"

Ralph sighed, picking the child up by the back of her collar and carrying her back towards Gene.

"C'mon kid, he's not gonna bite."

"Y-ya promise?" Candlehead squeaked.

"Sure!" the wrecker laughed "Well, unless ya got FOOD on ya, then maybe-!"

Candlehead let out a frightened groan as tried to free herself from Ralph's hold "**_HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TA KNOW!?_**"

"Candlehead, please!" Gene said in worry "Ralph was just JOKING! Now please, calm down!"

Ralph placed the girl back on the ground, Candlehead looking up at the huge Nicelander before her. It took a moment or so but after swallowing her fear, the small racer made a few cautious steps towards Gene, holding the package towards him.

"I-I just wanted ta apologize f-for causin' all of this!"

"Aww, you sweet little thing…" Mary said sadly "Don't blame yourself for this!"

"B-but if I had put those power-ups away like I was SUPPOSED ta, none of this would have happened!" the girl cried out "Th-that's why I made ya ANOTHER cake!"

"Another?" Gene said, raising an eyebrow.

"Y-yeah! No power-ups included!"

Gene was a bit suspicious at first but he knew that the child meant well. He then opened the package, finding that there was indeed a cake inside, a message written on the top with frosting.

"To Mr. Mayor Nicelander Ge…."

The man stopped, realizing that his name seemed to run off the side of the cake.

"Er, young lady?"

"Sorry…." Candlehead said "I-I wanted to put your full name in but its SOOOOO long!"

"Ehehehe…th-that's fine…" Gene laughed nervously, continuing "I'm very, very, very, very '**_SORRRY_**'….there are three r's in this."

"That means I'm even MORE sorry!" the girl shouted, her arms in the air.

Gene put a hand to his temple but even with everything that was happening, he still couldn't help but smile. It was so nice to see people who were actually thinking about him as a CHARACTER for once instead of a monster or trying to pry more answers out of him. And besides that, the gesture was rather adorable as he began to think it over.

"Thank you dear." The mayor chuckled "This cake is EXACTLY what I needed!"

Candlehead eyes' widened in shock at the mayor's words, her nervousness disappearing from her.

"REALLY!?"

"W-why YES! I-in fact, I…." Gene thought for a moment, trying to figure out what to say to the girl "I-In FACT, I think this cake made me SO happy I…I SHRUNK a bit!"

Mary smacked Gene on his foot, an angry look on her face "DEAR!"

"_What else was I supposed to tell her?!_"

"_I don't know?! A simple thank you was good enough!_"

"**_YEAAAAAAAAAH!_**" cheered Candlehead, her candle burning brighter than ever "I MADE MR. MAYOR GENE KINDA BETTER!"

Ralph chuckled as he watched the racer run around in circles in glee, his eyes going towards Gene "If ya keep this up, the entire arcade might give ya cakes!"

"Heh, that's something I could live with!" Gene snickered, the thought of free cake actually sounding pretty good to him at the moment.

Outside the game, things were going on as normal. Kids were running about, parents were trying to keep up with them and as usual, Litwak was doing his daily rounds.

"Nice to see everything up an' goin'!" the man chuckled to himself as he watched the children running to and fro. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Moppet once again heading over to her favorite, Fix-it-Felix Jr.

"Hey sweetie! Tryin' to break your old record!"

"Yeah!" the girl said brightly "Who knows! Maybe they'll make a documentary 'bout this like they did with Donkey Kong!"

"Well, don't wear Felix an' the others out! You've been working 'em hard for a while now!" the man joked.

"Hey, watch it!" said an older boy, trying to push his way to Pac-Man.

"No, it's MY turn!" cried another, bumping the other boy away.

"Hey kids, hold it! HOLD IT" said Litwak, trying to separate the two "There are plenty of games here, there's no need to fight over one!"

"But he said I could play if he lost his last life!" said the taller of the two boys.

"Nuh-uh!" said the smaller boy "It's still MY turn so just WAIT, okay?!"

"That's no fair!"

Litwak knew there was a fight brewing and moving as best he could, he managed to pull the two kids away but not before the smaller boy rushed forward and PUSHED his friend back, the other boy stumbling backwards and bumping RIGHT into the Fix-it-Felix cabinet!

"HEY!" cried Moppet, nearly falling over herself.

While the boy was a little dizzy from taking a sudden spill, inside the cabinet, the people of the game felt as if they were struck by an EARTHQUAKE!

"**_HANG ON!_**" cried Felix, grabbing onto the nearest tree "**_CABINET QUAKE!_**"

The Nicelanders and other characters screamed in shock as they were thrown about, feeling the cabinet rock on its corners! Out on the lawn, Mary felt herself being jolted backwards, the little woman screaming in shock as he rolled out further into the lawn. Gene let out a shocked gasp, reaching out for his love.

"**_MARY!_**"

Thankfully, Mary had managed to roll away and out of sight behind the apartments, but Gene…

The Nicelander tripped and fell with a BOOMING crash once the game landed back on all four sides, mere inches from the apartments!

"**_OOF!_**"

It took a moment or two for things to settle down in the game but once they did, everyone inside the apartments knew that they were caught. The collection of Nicelanders stood as still as statues inside their apartments, not a word passing their lips.

They couldn't move. They WOULDN'T move, not with things like this!

Gene moaned, his head hurting a bit as he began to sit up "Urgh, I HATE it when people bump the-!"

"_GENE!_" called Ralph, getting into his in-game pose.

Gene shook his head again, looking at his friends "_W-what?_"

"_Don't freak out, but-!_"

Gene peered down at Ralph and Felix, wondering why the two were in their in-game poses but as he looked up, he got his answer.

There before him stood Moppet, the girl looking in SHOCK as the huge Nicelander lay on the grass before her. Of course, from her point of view, Gene appeared in his eight-bit form but the change in pixels did nothing to hide the fact that she had seen him and she had seen him while he was HUGE!

"Is that-?"

The Nicelander was petrified, much too scared to even THINK of moving as the girl looked around, almost as if she hoped someone could tell her what was going on.

"I didn't know that the Nicelanders were this big…" the girl said, tapping the glass curiously.

Gene swallowed back in fear, trembling a bit as his pupils shrank down.

"_W-what do I do?!_" he whispered down to Felix.

"_J-just don't panic!_" the repairman said, trying his best to keep the situation under control "_Don't make any sudden moves! Just…_"

GLITCH!

As if to add to the torment that the Nicelander was going through, another glitch shot through the man's body, the Nicelander letting out a small gasp as he gritted his teeth in pain, his mesh showing through for a split second as he grew a tad larger.

"Wow!" said Moppet, surprised to see the Nicelander glitching for a second, though she wasn't sure herself if she had just witnessed a GLITCH or something else entirely. What she did know however was something strange had happened.

"D-did…did that guy get BIGGER?"

And she wondered if it would happen again.

"Hey, Mr. Litwak!"

With her back now turned, Gene scrabbled as quickly as he could towards the edge of the forest, his hand on his chest and his cheeks pale.

Of all the things that could have POSSIBLY happened, it finally did! He had been spotted by the player and even worse, they had seen him glitch!

"Oh NO!" Gene said to himself, holding his head in worry.

"Gene, are you alright?!" Mary called out in worry.

"NO!" the man shouted back "No, I'm NOT alright!"

Everyone could tell that things were starting to go bad in the game but what could they do at the moment? It wasn't like they could suddenly stop what they were doing and have someone check in on Gene; everyone was on the clock!

Candlehead peeked from behind Ralph, looking more worried than ever.

"S-so is that how it works?!"

"Aw man, let's hope that kid doesn't want a REPEAT performance of that!" Ralph said as he looked back towards the arcade, unable to spot Moppet in the crowd.

A repeat performance? That would only imply that Moppet didn't think anything was wrong with the game! From Gene's mind-set, he was SURE the kid would report something was wrong with the cabinet and then…

And then….

GAME OVER.

"Programmers…I'm going to bring this entire game down!"

GLITCH!

Another twinge of pain shot through the Nicelander, his entire body aching as a few more inches were added to his height. The Nicelanders backed away in fear but Mary wasn't having it anymore. She ran from the crowd, only stopping once she got to her fiancé's foot.

"Gene! Gene, down here!" shouted Mary "Dear, listen to me!"

The titanic mayor turned down towards Mary, looking more frazzled than ever.

"Dear, this is not the time to worry!" the pink Nicelander shouted.

"Are you kidding?! This is the PERFECT time to worry!" Gene cried.

"Wow, is this what it's like with ME?" asked Roy, a little unnerved to see someone ELSE worrying for a change.

"Did you SEE the look on her face?!" Gene continued "She was FREAKED OUT by the very sight of me!"

"Um, I wouldn't take it THAT FAR, Mayor…." Felix said, trying his best to reassure his friend.

By now, Gene was convinced that it was over; another out-of-order crisis had befallen Niceland and this time, it was his fault!

"I'm telling you Mr. Litwak, there's some sort of hidden animation in this game!"

"Whoa, duck guys! She's comin' back!" shouted Norwood, running back into the building, the others following suit.

Moppet approached the game, pointing towards the characters on screen "When the game started up, one of the Nicelanders was standing outside the building but he was…he was bigger than the wrecking guy!"

Litwak put a hand to his chin, gazing at the bunch on screen. Everything seemed normal enough but he had heard so many different things about the game, he couldn't help but laugh.

"This old thing seems to get nuttier every year…just like my nana!" the man chuckled as he patted Moppet on the shoulder "I'm sure you're right though, kiddo! It was probably some, what's it called again? An Easter egg or something. Ya might have to reach a certain score to get it again!"

Moppet looked back at the characters on screen but she was certain in what she saw that she couldn't simply brush it off!

"I'm sure it was that guy that gets thrown…." She said to herself before turning to go to another game.

Once the girl was out of sight, everyone in Niceland let out a collective sigh.

"Man, I never thought that thing would be so close to the edge!" said Nolan, wiping his brow.

On edge? Gene was beyond that point. He looked down at his neighbors, the sight of them making the feeling of guilt in his stomach grow even larger.

What was he doing? He couldn't stay with them. His very presence in the game put EVERYONE at risk but what could he do? He couldn't LEAVE the game for he was much too large to go through the tram tunnel and even if he could, where could he go? It wasn't like anyone else was welcoming him with open arms in his current state.

No, Gene knew he had to go and he had to leave NOW but where?

He looked off to the distance, taking note of the seemingly endless beyond that stretched beyond the forest.

Yes, there. Maybe if he just left for a while, at least until he returned to normal….

"Dear?"

Once again, hearing Mary's voice snapped Gene out of his stupor, his eyes darting towards her.

"Gene, you're not upset are you?"

Seeing the look of worry on Mary's face only broke his heart even more. He couldn't stand it; he couldn't stand knowing that because of him, her life was on the line. He couldn't risk it, not for his friends, not for his fiancé, not for ANYONE.

For the safety of all in Niceland, Gene had to leave.

"E-everyone?" the mayor stuttered, standing on his feet and looking down at the gathering crowd "I-I can't do this anymore."

"Huh?" Felix said, rightfully confused "Ya can't do WHAT, Gene?"

"I can't risk your lives because of my own foolishness…" the mayor said, shaking his head "Look, I want to thank you all for putting up with me for as long as you have but…but I just can't stay here!"

Mary stood aghast at Gene, her mouth dropping "W-wait. Are you saying you're LEAVING?!"

The mayor turned slightly, trying his best to avert his eyes "It's not like I have a choice…."

"No, Gene! PLEASE" the woman shouted, running towards the man "Look, what happened? It was an ACCIDENT! Someone bumped into the game a-and we ALL fell! It wasn't something we could control!"

"But I was still spotted!" the man shouted, his voice booming "And had it being someone other kid, they would have thought the game was busted! We're lucky that child thought this was all part of the game!"

"C'mon, Gene! Don't leave!" Ralph said "We'll have this all figured out soon enough, so then we can-!"

"I'm sorry but my mind is made up!" the mayor said, putting a hand out towards Ralph and turning his nose in the air "For your safety, I'm…I'm removing myself from Niceland, at least until this entire thing wears off!"

"I won't have it!" Mary shouted angrily "You are not going off by yourself, you hear me?!"

"Mary…" Gene sighed, stooping down to his love's height and placing a hand on her head "Trust me when I tell you that I DON'T want to do this but…but I can't sit by knowing that by being here, I'm putting you in danger. I-I don't know WHAT I would do if something happened to you because of me!"

"J-just think it over!" Mary said, a desperate look in her eyes "B-Besides, it's safer to be here with us than by yourself in the-!"

Before Mary could continue….

GLITCH!

It was obvious things were starting to get worse as the mayor held his sides, trying his best to fight back to sharp pains of the glitches.

"S-see?" he hissed in pain "Pretty soon, I won't be able to hide no matter how far I try to get off the screen!"

"Gene….please…." Mary sniffed, looking right into her fiancé's eyes. Gene couldn't take it, he just couldn't. He forced himself up and turned, not wanting his neighbors to see him in such a state.

"I-I'm sorry…" the mayor managed to say in a weak voice "I-I just don't want to hurt you…"

And with that, Gene made his way deeper into the forest, his heavy footstep fading as he disappeared into the thick cluster of trees.

"Gene! GENE! WAIT! DON'T GO!" Mary shouted as she started to run after the mayor but she hadn't gone three feet when she felt a hand landing on her shoulder.

"C'mon Mary…." Felix said sadly, pulling the woman back slightly "Let him cool down for a while. I'm sure he'll come to…."

The little Nicelander's lip began to quiver as tears formed in her eyes, too choked up to do anything other than nod. As Felix lead her back to the apartments, she took one look back, seeing nothing but the darkness of the woods and hearing nothing but the wind as it flowed through the trees.

As much as she didn't t want to believe it, as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, Gene was gone.


	11. Chapter 11- Lonely

Chapter Eleven- Lonely

Gene didn't know how far he had walked through the woods but he also didn't care. Just so long as he was far enough away that he couldn't hurt the others, he would be satisfied. Being as big as he was, he was a little surprised how easy it was to bend back some of the trees so he could maneuver his way through but he also began to notice the further he got, the denser the forest became.

At the edge of the forest, his head nearly touched the top of the trees but now? The thick forest seemed to tower over him, surrounding the mayor in a rather chilling darkness that didn't seem to go along with the cheerfulness of the game.

"P-Programmers….did the designers just leave this space like this on purpose?"

The Nicelander continued to make his way through the forest, not even caring if he knocked over a few trees during his progress. He just had to get far enough where Niceland was safe and the players didn't have a chance to spot him. Suddenly, Gene looked up, noticing a flash of green appearing before him.

"What could that be?" he pondered to himself, walking towards the light in curiosity. To his surprise, he found that the thick valley of trees STOPPED, coming to an end at a long stretch of check-boarded grass. The mayor was a little surprised; he had never traveled this far from the apartments in his life and to see something like this took him for a loop. It was like two completely different environments; behind him, the forest but in front of him lay the valley.

Just what were the programmers thinking when they designed this game?

"Well, at least I don't have to sleep on any trees…" Gene sighed, walking out onto the grass and sitting down.

The mayor looked to the front of him, seeing nothing but grass and as he turned around, he saw much of the same. It was just so odd being alone in such a place but he quickly remembered that this was what he wanted.

He WANTED to be alone, or at least that's what he told himself.

He looked up into the sky, seeing that there were multicolored stars twinkling in the black void but even with the stars above him, Gene still felt empty and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, scared.

There was something chilling about his surroundings, something unnatural and strange. There was a great divide between him and Niceland, the large wall of trees serving as a means of keeping the giant mayor away from the others.

But this was what he wanted.

He **_WANTED_** to be separated.

Gene shivered, feeling a slight breeze blow over him. He was starting to regret running away but at the same time, he couldn't force himself to return. He was still shaken from what had happened when the cabinet was bumped and he didn't want to risk another incident to happen again.

He just had to stay put.

But there was something else that was bothering him, something about being alone that shook him from his very code.

_Alone._

_Isolated._

_Feared._

Then it hit him.

Ralph.

This was exactly the way things once were with Ralph.

First there was the mayor's horrible attempted to get out of the apartments and now this.

But instead of being sent to the dump, he had been sent to the forest.

It was if fate had dealt Gene several blows.

Granted, Ralph hadn't been WARPED into his current size nor did he really choose to isolate himself from the others but Gene was beginning to understand that feeling of loneliness that Ralph had to deal with for so long and mostly because of HIM.

It hurt Gene knowing that some distance away, there were several people who didn't want to be around him, either out of fear, out of worry and some cases, out of hatred. The mayor felt his cheeks burning as he remembered the way several of the non-Fix-it-Felix characters had treated him during his time of desperation. They didn't want to help him, not at all. In fact, they wanted to blame him for everything that had happened.

They blamed him for putting everyone in danger.

They blamed him for nearly destroying their homes.

They blamed him for all the calamity that soon came afterwards.

_Just like Gene had done to Ralph so many times._

The large mayor remained silent in the grassy space, the faint sound of gameplay hitting his ears proving that no matter how far he wanted to run away, he just couldn't; there was no way he could totally block the sounds of his friends. He could only imagine what the others were doing at the moment. Did they even miss him? Were they even concerned or were they happy that he was gone?

He was certain that SOME of the characters were happy, he was just so certain of it and unlike Ralph, his role didn't matter much anyway.

It wasn't like the game would be unplugged if he never showed up again.

So who cared if Gene was gone, right?

Who cared if he never returned to normal, right?

Who cared?

Gene drew his knees up to his face, trembling once he felt all the guilt piling on him and it did so horribly.

This was karma.

This was payback for all the years he had been so cruel to Ralph.

Now he would know what it felt like to be feared, to be so lumbering but most of all, to be so lonely.

It was painful. More painful than being thrown out the window day in and day out.

But….that's what Gene wanted right?

_He WANTED to be alone to keep EVERYONE safe._

The mayor's eyes peeked from over his knees, the man looking up in at the stars. Even with the countless dots that twinkled overhead, he still felt as if he were trapped, as if he were lost in the game. He held himself tighter, wanting nothing more than for things to return to normal.

"_I wanna go home….._"

GLITCH!

A glitch ran through Gene, almost as if to tell him that there was no point in fighting it anymore. He looked down, feeling himself growing larger but due to the area that he was in, it really didn't make any difference now.

No one could see him, no one could hear him.

He could get as big as he could get and no one would care.

Still feeling a bit dizzy, the mayor placed a hand to his head "W-wow…I feel a bit lightheaded now…." he shuddered, not sure how to react to this new symptom that had appeared.

As he lowered his hand from his head, a flash of silver caught his attention. He looked down at his finger, seeing something that made his heart skip for a moment.

His engagement ring.

The ring was still on his finger despite everything that had happened. He gripped it with his other hand, shutting his eyes tight and trying not to think of the worst but it was starting to get increasingly difficult.

He buried his head in his arms, groaning deeply.

He and Mary were still engaged but with things going the way they were, what would both Nicelanders do? Gene began to worry again, his head starting to hurt.

"What if this doesn't wear off? What will I do then? What will Mary even think of me?! How can-?!"

A faint rustling rang in Gene's ears, the man quickly turning to his side.

"H-hello?"

No reply.

Gene got to his knees and moved towards the trees. He was CERTAIN he heard something but what could it have been? It wasn't as if Niceland was known for its wildlife. If anything, Niceland was known for its LACK of animals so other than another duck or a stray character, what could have made that noise?

"Gene?"

That voice.

That soft, gentle voice.

It couldn't have been….

The mayor's eyes widened as he looked further into the darkness of the woods, seeing nothing at first but then a small shadow began to form.

"Honey, can you hear me?"

The figure took another step, tripping and falling over some of the broken branches that lay on the forest floor, letting out a yelp as it did so.

"A-are you alright?!" Gene called in worry, reaching his hand into the woods and grabbing onto the figure as gently as he could. Once he pulled his hands free, he was met face to face with his beloved Mary but he could tell that she was a little taken aback to be held by Gene so easily. The woman blinked in surprise, smiling nervously and blushing a bit.

"W-well, I guess my search ends here!"

"W-what are you doing here?!" asked Gene, placing the woman before him "I-I mean, it's dangerous to go alone! Something could have happened and-!"

"Darling, please!" the woman said, putting a hand up "It's a straight walk from the apartments to this spot! Aside from the trees, it's not that difficult to get to!"

Gene remained silent as he sat before his fiancé, looking rather glum "So…so what are you doing out here? I thought you were going to stay with the others…."

"I couldn't…" Mary sighed, looking down at her feet "Gene, I know you want what's best for all of us but this is NUTS! You can't just barricade yourself here!"

"And why not?!" the man said in a miffed tone "You saw what happened! Things could have gotten WORSE had-"

"YES. YES, I am well aware that things COULD HAVE GOTTEN a lot WORSE but dear, guess what? THEY DIDN'T!"

Gene pouted a bit, turning his back towards Mary "Well, excuse me for being CAUTIOUS."

"Dear. Please stop this…."

The large Nicelander craned his neck a bit, noticing the look that Mary was giving him. It was THAT look; the look she could often use when she felt that Gene was acting like a brat. Even though he stood over three stories tall at this point, he couldn't sway from her.

"_S-sorry…._" The mayor finally said with a huff "But why did you come out here anyway? It's not like this is a PRIME spot for ANYTHING."

"I came out here because I was concerned…." The woman said, placing her hands on her hips "Do you really EXPECT me to let my FIANCÉ waste away in the back of the game? For heaven's sake, NO!"

The sides of Gene's mustache began to twitch a bit, the man tucking his ring hand in-between his folded arms "Is that why you have that blanket and a pillow?"

The Nicelander in pink clutched tightly onto the supplies she had with her. She had obviously planned on spending the night with Gene, even if it meant sleeping OUTSIDE.

"You know me Gene. I'm a tough cookie! A lil rest under the stars would be a nice change in pace!"

If there was something Mary was right about, it was that she had acted a lot calmer during the whole situation than Gene had. The mayor was actually surprised that the woman wanted to be around him at this point but being Mary, it would take a lot to push her away.

Silence filled the air; the mayor knew he had to say SOMETHING. He looked back at his ring finger, the silver shining brightly.

"Mary?"

"Yes?"

"What if…what if I don't turn back?" the mayor said "What would you do then?"

Mary blinked, a little surprised at the question "Don't turn back?"

"What if Calhoun and Mouse were wrong? What if my coding NEVER resets properly? Would you still love me? Would you even still want to be with me?"

The man held his hand out before him and looked down at his ring once again, running his free hand through his hair.

"Think about it for a moment, dear. How could we live out our lives if I'm like this? We wouldn't be able to live normally! I couldn't go into the apartments, I couldn't help anyone….."

The man stopped, balling up his hand before putting it back on the ground.

"_I ruined it, Mary. I ruined any chance we had of actually being together._"

"Oh, stop with this talk!" Mary snapped, crossing her arms against her chest, Gene turning around to see just how angry she was "You're acting like it's the end of the world or something, Geeeeeeeeeene!" she continued, walking closer to her enormous fiancé "I don't know where you got this idea about me not wanting to be with you, but get rid of it! I would never abandon you when you needed someone!"

Gene's eyes widened, moving a tad closer to the woman "E-even when-?"

Mary nodded, a warm smile appearing on her face "Even if, well, even if there is more of you to go around!" she joked.

A small bashful smile formed on Gene's face, the man lowering his hand down so Mary could walk on it. He then lifted her higher to get a better view "You know something?"

"What?" asked the woman, a smile still on her face.

"When I scared you back there, I was certain that you'd run away….but I was surprised that you didn't. You…you stayed with me. Even when I was busting through everything, you stayed with me…" Gene looked at his love, his blue eyes filled with sincerity "WHY?"

"Oh, honey! You might have been BIG back there but I knew you were still yourself!" Mary twittered "I mean, I was still SHOCKED of course It's just…well, how would you react if I suddenly grew two feet in front of you? I don't think YOU'D be full of rays and sunshine!"

The man couldn't help but let out a small chuckle; she did have a point though knowing Gene, he would have wasted no time in trying to figure out just WHO had messed with his precious Mary.

Mary gave Gene a smug grin, patting his nose gently "Come on **BIG**. **_GENE_**. I **_LOVE_** you! And no matter what happens….I would never, EVER leave you alone."

Gene couldn't stop a tear from running down his cheek, Mary's words the exact thing he needed to hear in the midst of all the chaos. The little Nicelander in pink beamed brightly once she saw that Gene was starting to come around and, after standing on her tip-toes, she gave the man a kiss on the nose.

"See, things will get better soon!"

The mayor lowered his hand, Mary hopping off with a little *ping* sound before she turned and smiled up to her love.

"But let me tell you this!" the woman said as she turned on her heels tartly.

"What?"

"IF you do end up staying like this for a while, don't think for a second you can make me bake giant pies and cakes for you!"

"But Maaaaaaary!" Gene whined playfully "What if I get hungeeee?"

"Then eat some apples off the trees or something! There are plenty of those near the apartment!" the woman spread out one of her blankets on the ground, sitting on it but she continued to give Gene a teasing grin "And considering how big your appetite was BEFORE all of this, we should count ourselves lucky that those things regenerate!"

Even in the midst of everything that had happened to him, Mary was able to lift Gene's spirits, the man feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. True, he still wasn't fully comfortable with everything that was going on but to hear Mary's words of love? He knew that despite it all, despite everything, there was some here that wanted to be with him.

A big smile spread on Gene's face, the man reaching down and picking up Mary again, the woman squeaking cutely as her feet left the ground.

"Thank you, honey…" the mayor said, giving the woman a loving (but gentle) kiss on the cheek.

Mary laughed sweetly, poking Gene on his nose "You're welcome Big Gene."


	12. Chapter 12- I Do

Chapter Twelve- I Do

It was another beautiful Sunday morning at Litwak's. The arcade might have been closed but that didn't mean that the characters inside were lazing about.

No, who could be lazy when it was such an important day?

From Sugar Rush to Need 4 Speed, from Dragon's Lair to House of the Dead, the residence of Litwak's were gathered at Hero's Duty but they weren't there because something horrible had happened.

This wasn't a meeting on how to survive Cybug attacks or what to do if a virus were to show its ugly head in the arcade.

This was a day for celebration! This was a day for happiness!

This was the day Nicelander Gene and Nicelander Mary were to be united as one!

The church was beautiful. The warm rays of the golden sun radiated through the stained glass, painting a rainbow of color on all who stood at the altar. Gene himself was at the front, the little man looking sharp in his tuxedo but it was obvious to everyone that he was more than a little nervous, his entire face blushed with pink and his hands clutched behind him. He rocked a bit on his feet, almost as if he couldn't keep himself from running right to Mary and carrying her to the altar himself.

He just couldn't believe this day had finally come.

After so much hesitation, after so much doubt, after so much waiting…..

Gene was going to marry the woman he loved.

The little blue Nicelander felt that his life wouldn't be complete without Mary in it and he waited for the moment he could hear her say those two words.

_Those two SWEET words._

The organ began to play, the music filling the chapel as everyone turned their heads towards the entrance, the large wooden doors opening.

Vanellope Von Schweetz entered first, the young girl dressed in a beautiful candy-themed gown with a small basket of flowers grasped in her hands. Grinning from ear to ear, Vanellope sprinkled rose petals on the ground, unable to keep her glee down as she looked up at Ralph who was standing with the other Nicelander men. The wrecker gave the little racer a wink as she got closer to the altar. Vanellope just continued to smile as she threw the last batch of petals on the floor before skittering off to join the others.

Rancis arrived next, the young boy looking prim and proper in his little suit. In his hands rested a red-velvet pillow on which lay two golden rings; Sonic could only WISH the rings in his game were as beautiful and bright! The peanut-butter racer couldn't help but give some of the ladies a cheeky grin, his eyebrow wiggling towards them as he flashed a smile.

"_Ladies!_" he chuckled, pointing towards another character his age, the girl swooning and landing right in the hands of one of the zombie characters.

Even when the event wasn't about him, Rancis STILL had to show off!

And then…

She arrived.

The organ began the familiar wedding tune as everyone rose to their feet, the entire room glowing brighter than ever.

There she was, standing right there at the door.

Nicelander Mary.

Gene could only look on in joy, his eyes glistening as he caught a glimpse of his bride.

Mary began to walk down the aisle, the tiny woman followed by Candlehead and Taffyta, the two girls holding onto her flowing train. Everyone was just so happy to witness what was happening.

It was like something that only could happen in a storybook.

Or the sought-after good ending of a game.

At the altar, the other Nicelanders were beside themselves in happiness. The bride's maids smiled, the groom's men beamed.

It was just too perfect.

Finally, Mary stepped up to the altar, her face still covered by her veil. As she approached Gene, even he could see that she was also a bit nervous, her head hung a bit. The man took his shaking hands and lifted the veiling, his eyes meeting with that of his bride.

Mary had never looked so beautiful. Her chubby cheeks looked so rosy and warm, her crystal blue eyes shimmering like jewels.

Gene was overcome by what he saw but he stood strong, biting his lip as a small smile formed on his face.

"_A-are you nervous?_" the man whispered.

"_A-a little…_" Mary responded, looking away a bit but she couldn't hide the smile curling on her lips "_B-but I wouldn't change anything!_"

The two Nicelanders held each other's hands and looked towards the priest, the man standing a few feet above them. He cleared his throat, opening the bible and began the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved…" the man began "We are gathered here today to join in wedding bliss these two Nicelanders, Gene and Mary."

From the crowd, a familiar fighter patted his teary eyes with a handkerchief.

"_This…this is the most __**BEAUTIFUL**__ thing Zangief has ever seen!_" the man sobbed.

Deejay leaned on the man, patting his shoulders "_It's alright big guy! Showin' your emotions is a GOOD thing!_" The DJ's lip began to quiver a bit, unable to hold back his own feelings for the moment. "_E-especially now!_"

"Now, if I we might have the rings?" the priest continued, looking over at Rancis. The boy walked up to the two Nicelanders, lowering the pillow towards them. Gene took the first ring off the pillow, his hands still shaking.

"_Mary…_" he began, his voice a little dry "I can only tell you how much I've waited for this day. Ever since 1982, I knew there was something special about you. I knew….I knew I loved you. And on this day, I can only thank the Programmers above for allowing us to be together!"

Gene's hand shook horribly as he continued to clasp onto the hands of his love.

_"C-Come on! You've been waiting for this day!"_ the man thought to himself, his shaking getting even worse. The little Nicelander drew back a breath, trying his best to stay focused as well as on his feet as his voice quivered "A-and….with this ring, I-I…."

Gene faltered, much too bashful to continue. He looked up at Mary, his eyes wide and scared as he felt as if his words were caught in his throat.

What was happening? Why was Gene so terrified?

"I-I-! I-!"

"_No, no! Don't stop now, buddy!_" Norwood whispered, peeking over at the mayor "_She's right there! Give her the freakin' ring!_"

Gene swallowed hard, remembering that this was the moment he had waited for his entire life! He couldn't stop. He took one look at Mary again, the smile on her face making his heart swell with happiness. In that small moment, all the fear that Gene had was now gone.

There was no reason to be scared at this! He was in love! He was about to marry the woman of his dreams!

This was **_PERFECT!_**

"With this ring…" the man continued, placing the ring on Mary's finger "I do thee wed!"

A collective sigh of relief echoed throughout the chapel, a few characters wiping their brows. For a moment, they thought the poor Nicelander was going to pass out right then and there!

Now, THAT would have been something to see.

Mary took the second ring, her confidence showing through "Gene? Sweetie? I've known you for thirty-one years and the only thing I regret that it took us this long to finally get together. My love for you? I cannot describe it in mere words or even size. You give me a feeling that reminds me of how much I love life and…"

The woman peered into Gene's eyes, her cheeks glowing even brighter.

"And how much I love you…."

Gene let out a little laugh, almost as if he could not believe what Mary had told him. The woman held onto the man's hand even tighter, the ring held gentle in her tiny fingers.

"And with this ring…."

Mary slipped the ring on Gene, the mayor surprised that no one could hear his heart POUNDING in his chest.

"I do thee wed."

The residence of Fix-it-Felix Jr. just couldn't hold back their excitement. Lucy let out a small squeal, Don wiped a tear from his eye and even Roy, the man people RARELY saw smile, was just taken by the scene, his hand over his heart and his eyes filled with love.

And Calhoun and Felix?

The maid of honor and the best man couldn't have been prouder either. Calhoun looked towards her husband, giving the man a nod. Calhoun craned her neck up towards Ralph, the man trying his best to hide the tears that were forcing their way through.

"_Am I really cryin' over those two?_" the man laughed to himself "_Who would have thought!_"

"Now that the rings have been given…." The priest continued "I have but one question to ask. Is there anyone here in this chapel, this arcade….who thinks that these two should not be joined in wedded bliss?"

The two Nicelanders, their hands still clutched together, looked towards the massive collection of people, everyone smiling from ear to ear.

This was it. In a few short moments, Gene would hear Mary say the two words he had so long wait for her to say.

_I do._

"M-Mary…" the mayor began "I-!"

"If you have anything to say, please say it now!" the priest shouted, rather loudly this time "For there are still questions as to why such a SWEET and WONDERFUL woman would want to marry such a man!"

Both Nicelanders looked at each other, a bit confused as to what was happening. They then focused their attention on the priest, the man hurling the bible towards Felix!

"HEY!" the repairman shouted, jumping away in the nick of time.

Ignoring the cries of the repairman in blue, the priest glared down at the tiny Nicelanders, his once soft and gentle face starting to harden a bit with anger. He pointed an accusing finger at Gene, the man jumping a bit.

"**_TELL ME GENE! WHY DO YOU DESERVE SUCH A WOMAN AS THIS?!_**"

Mary clutched onto Gene in fear, her hands gripping tightly onto his "Dear!?"

"N-now don't worry, Mary! I'll-!"

***WHACK!***

Without so much as a warning, Gene felt the painful sting of a hand SMACKING him across the face, the man flying a good yard out of the arms of his bride! The entire church gasped, looking up to see that it was the priest who had dealt the painful blow!

"GENE!" Mary called, running over to her injured love "A-are you alright!?"

Gene moaned, rubbing his sore cheek, the surface even redder than before. He moaned, looking forward to see the much larger priest walking towards the two. The Nicelander let out a gasp as he quickly leapt to his feet, an angry look on his face.

"G-get behind me Mary, I won't let this-!"

Before Gene could get another word out, the priest made a dive for the little man, grabbing him by his throat and lifting him off the ground!

"**_NICELANDER GENE!_**" the now monstrous man screeched "**_YOU DO NOT DESERVE THE LOVE OF THIS WOMAN! YOU DO NOT DESERVE THE LOVE OF ANYONE!_**"

Try as he might, Gene just couldn't wriggle himself free from the hold of the larger man, his stubby legs kicking furiously in the air. The Nicelander managed to open an eye, glaring angrily forward.

"Y-you **_MONSTER!_** LET GO OF ME!" the little man spat, trying in vain to claw his nails into the priest's flesh.

The priest sneered, showing forth sharp crooked teeth and a wicked smile.

"Monster?" he cackled, his eyes turning black and drawing the terrified Nicelander closer "It is not I who is the monster, Mayor Gene…."

Gene's face paled a bit, fearing that in that moment the other man was about to DEVOUR him whole!

"_W-why isn't anyone helping?! Why isn't anyone helping Mary?!_"

A sickly blue glow began to radiate from the priest, everyone ducking in shock at the sight. Gene was helpless as he hung from the man's boney hand and before he could do anything else…

A shock.

A scream.

Everyone in the church ducked for cover as Gene was subjected to a horrid electrocution, the Nicelander screaming in agony as he felt as if every pixel in his body were being cut and mangled but somehow, someway….

He was still whole.

The man groaned, falling limp in the priest's hand, his mind clouded and his entire body sore. Mary picked herself up from the ground, her hands held out before him.

"Stop! STOP HURTING HIM!" she pleaded, tears falling from her eyes "**_WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO HIM!?_**"

The priest focused his cruel gaze on Mary, his evil smile becoming even more frightening. He raised Gene higher in the air, his grip around his throat even tighter.

"_To show you my love….__**THE REAL MONSTER YOU ARE ABOUT TO MARRY!**_"

The man then tossed Gene towards Mary as if he were a dirty rag, the Nicelander crashing into his love roughly but as soon as the Nicelander had left his hand, the priest erupted into a wave of blood-curdling laughter, his form floating off the ground before finally EXPLODING and disappearing into a flash of light! Everyone in the church was left stunned by what happened but their focus quickly went to that of the two Nicelanders on the ground, Mary shaking Gene in a feverish attempt to wake him.

"Gene! GENE!" she cried "Oh programmers, WAKE UP!"

"M-Mary?" the man moaned, finally coming to.

The sight of her love brought a smile to Mary's face and she quickly embraced him, her face going into his chest.

"Oh dear, I thought that man had done something horrible to you!"

Gene shook his head, still trying to put together everything that had happened in those short moments "B-But wh-what happened? I don't-!"

**_BA-BUMP!_**

Gene felt the sudden pain as if someone had stabbed him in the middle of the chest, the feeling instantly bringing him back down to the ground.

"**_AUURGH!_**

"  
"Oh my goodness, GENE!" Mary cried out, reaching out for her love "What's wrong?!"

Felix looked over towards the two, panicked at what he saw "Oh mah land, is he alright?!"

**_BA-BUMP!_**

The pain was only getting worse! Gene shut his eyes and clenched his teeth, hoping that he would be able to somehow force the agonizing pain away!

"Gene! GENE! PLEASE ANSWER ME!" Mary yelled, shaking the man.

Gene wanted to say something. Oh, how he wanted to ask for help but he found that he could not. His voice was gone, his body unresponsive.

His dream day was quickly turning into a nightmare.

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't even think straight. The only thing he could feel was the strange buzzing that was going throughout his entire body, his limbs feeling heavy and his breathing becoming much more rapid!

"_Yes, Gene…._" Hissed the voice of the priest, the taunting tone swirling in Gene's mind "_How does it feel now? __**HOW DOES IT FEEL?!**_"

"Gene! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

Gene!

GENE!

**_GENE!_**

Mary took ahold of her lover's face, trying to see if she could reach him "Darling! Darling, please stay with me! I-!"

As Mary cradled the mayor's head in her arms, he could suddenly feel some of the paralysis that had befallen him fade a bit. He still felt weak but he managed to lift a hand up, placing it gentle on his love's cheek.

"M-Mary?" the groom managed to finally say, his voice still weak.

The woman let out a small elated laugh, relieved to see that her love was alright, at least for the moment. She reached down and grabbed his hand, kissing it lovingly.

"Oh thank Programmers! I thought you had-!"

"_N-no…._" the man moaned, much too weak to pull his hand away "_I don't-…._"

GLITCH!

"_H-HUH?!_"

GLITCH!

Gene's eyes widened in horror as he looked before him, his hand twitching even worse than before but this time, he knew the reason why.

It had returned.

"_Please….NO!_" the man pleaded, though he knew he was begging in vain.

There was no way he could stop this.

Mary's face was once again wrought with worry, her hands still holding tightly onto his "G-Gene? Wh-what's wron!?"

GLITCH!

The woman turned, looking at Gene's hand in fright as it suddenly hit her that something was off.

VERY off!

For some reason, Gene's hand looked…larger?

"W-What?!" the woman stuttered, still holding onto the man though she began to shake in fright.

GLITCH!

Gene let out another agonizing cry as he felt his body and mesh being pulled painfully outwards but that wasn't the worst of it.

No, the worst of it was seeing Mary, the terrified look on her face as she suddenly sprang up, backing away from the man.

"W-what's happening to you?!"

With Mary looking on, Gene watched in horror as his hand began to GROW before him, his fingers growing much too large for the wedding band that still rested around his finger.

"G-Gene?!"

The mayor said nothing, only able to look on in horror as he watched his own hand grow and grow….

Until the wedding ring SNAPPED off, the thing flying off who knew where.

In that moment, everything had come crashing down. In that split second that the band had broke from Gene's fingers, he knew all his hopes, all his dreams, even his love, were broken.

In fact, the only thing that had broken even worse than the small strip of gold was the man's heart.

"N-no!"

**_BA-BUMP!_**

Another wave of pain went through Gene, the man shutting his eyes as he gripped his body.

"Please! No! I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN!" he pleaded, the flickering light of his glitching mesh showing through almost every second.

The mayor then heard the loud screams of all the characters inside the chapel, the masses running over each other as if they were trying to escape. From his perspective, it still felt as if he were on the floor so for the moment, it felt a bit odd that they were trying to run away from him at this point. He might have been a BIT larger so why run? He was sure he posed no danger to them.

At least, that's what he thought.

"W-wait!" the man said, struggling to get back onto his feet "Th-there's no reason to run! I'M-!"

Gene attempted to stand but as he did so, his head hit the ceiling of the chapel, the man crying out in pain!

"**_OW!_**"

But how?!

He was SURE he was still small enough to STAND in the church but considering he had hit his head on the celling, which was a good FIFTY FEET above him, he knew things had made a turn for the worst.

"Holy **_PROGRAMMERS!_**" shouted Calhoun, scooting the Nicelander ladies out of the way "**_THE GROOM IS A MONSTER!_**"

"Everyone, **_RUUUUN!_**" shouted Felix, leading the others to safety, not even giving the mayor a second glance "If ya fall back, he could **_STEP ON YA!_**"

"LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!"

"PLEASE DON'T LET HIM GET ME!"

"HE'S A DANGER TO US ALL!"

"W-wait!" Gene said, reaching out for his friends "DON'T LEAVE ME! I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU!"

There was no use in asking for help now as everyone around the mayor was fleeing for their lives, wanting nothing to do with the huge Nicelander. Character ran in every direction, their screams and shouting doing nothing to put Gene at ease. He once again tried to reach out for his friends, taking Felix by the back of the collar. The little repairman let out a shocked yelp as he turned around, eyeing the enormous Nicelander in fear.

"Felix! PLEASE! Its ME!" Gene pointed to himself, Felix still frozen in fear "You can't tell me you're scared-!"

Suddenly, Calhoun rushed in and pulled the smaller man away from Gene, a look of pure hatred on her face.

"**_BACK OFF!_**" shouted Calhoun, pulling out a massive gun from whatever space dwell within her dress "You lay a single digit on him an' I'm blowin' a new hole through your skull!"

Gene backed away a bit, accidentally breaking a few pews under his feet "Ms. Tamora! Y-you can't-!"

Without another word the woman pulled the trigger, giving off a warning shot that sailed dangerously close to Gene's head. She scowled at Gene, her finger just itching to pull on the trigger once more and this time for a kills shot!

"I said! BACK! **_OFF!_**"

Gene was complexly taken away by what had just happen, his heart beating a million miles a second as he took in just how close he had come from being on the receiving end of the blast. He tried to remain calm in the moment but he knew Calhoun much too well by this point. She saw him a THREAT and when a threat got in her way, she didn't stop until it was taken care of!

But he wasn't a threat! He was just Gene! A Nicelander! He couldn't hurt a fly!

At least, that's what he WANTED to tell everyone but before he could say another word….

GLITCH!

Another spurt came through, the mayor once again hitting the ceiling HARD and causing a large section of the ceiling and glass to come raining down on everyone below! The sharp cries of a child rang through Gene's ears and he looked down just in time to see Vanellope, the poor kid too scared to move even move, or GLITCH, as a huge section of the ceiling came careening towards her!

"YOUNG LADY! LOOK OUT!"

_**BOOM!**_

A cloud of dust was kicked up from the crash but as Gene saw, a certain wrecker in a tuxedo had grabbed onto the child in the nick of time, grabbing her just a hair away from where the massive piece of ceiling had landed.

"You okay kid?!" Ralph asked frantically, checking to see if his friend was okay.

"H-he almost got me!" the child cried, pointing and accusing finger and shooting an angry glare at the Nicelander that towered over her "THAT STUPID NICELANDER ALMOST CRUSHED ME!"

"Don't even mention him!" the wrecker growled in anger, his eyes cutting into Gene "I won't let him hurt you!"

"BUT I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT HER! I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT ANYONE!" the mayor cried, feeling as if he were on the verge of a nervous breakdown!

"KEEP AWAY!"

The man looked down, seeing Mary glaring up at him, a furious look on her face.

"M-Mary?!"

The woman ripped the veil from her head, her hair blowing in the wind "I said, KEEP AWAY you giant FREAK!"

Those words bore into Gene's heart like a drill, the man nearly falling over as he heard his love say such terrible things to him.

But what about their promise?

What about Mary's promise that she would always love him, always be there for him….

No matter what?

The man knelt down, his hand reaching out for the woman "M-Mary, I thought-!"

The Mayor hadn't even gotten an inch from the woman when she violently smacked his hand away, her eyes filled with hate.

"Don't you even THINK of coming near me!" she snarled "Look at all that you've done, you-! You MONSTER! What makes you even THINK I would want to love a _**FREAK**_ like **_YOU!?_**"

Gene's face turned pale, his eye twitching "B-B-but-!" he stuttered "I…I love you!"

Mary stood before the massive Nicelander, tears of anger rolling down her cheeks. She sniffed back, looking down at her finger as she reached for the ring.

At that moment…everyone froze.

Silence filled the chapel as Gene continued to look down at Mary, his heart still pounding loudly. All around him, he could see the still figures of his friends and the other arcade residence locked into place, as if someone had hit a pause button.

Some bore the faces of people in fear, others were twisted in anger.

But they didn't matter to the man.

The only face Gene was focused on was that of Mary.

And she was less than pleased.

Gene looked down at the woman, trying once more to reach towards her "Mary, sweetie! Think about this! THINK OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!"

The tiny woman scowled up at Gene, plucking the ring right off her finger.

"**_NICELANDER GENE!_**"

Gene tried to reach the woman but somehow, she remained too far away from his grasp.

"Mary, NO! PLEASE!"

"**_I HATE YOU!_**"

And with that, the woman THREW the ring at Gene as hard as she could, the object hitting the giant man right on his chest but to him, the ring made no impact. It just bounced off as if it were nothing.

The thing that affected him the most. Even where he stood, he could still hear the shrill, sharp tones of Mary's voice echoing around the room, almost as if it weren't enough that the Mayor heard her the first time.

I HATE YOU!

**I HATE YOU!**

**_I HATE YOOOOOOU!_**

Gene staggered on his feet, his face turning as white as a sheet as all the color drained from him. The frozen characters slowly began to move once more, their screams filling the room once more but Gene couldn't hear them. His mind was swamped and blank. As everyone ran for their lives, Mary stood her ground, the little woman glaring up at Gene, tears rolling down her eyes.

"_Y-you don't mean that…._" Gene finally managed to say, his body feeling weightless "**_YOU DON'T MEAN THAT!_**"

As Gene took another step back, the floor he was standing on suddenly gave way, shattering under his great weight as if it were made of glass. The man let out a horrid scream as he felt himself falling, only to look down and see that he was heading straight for an endless abyss. He gave one final look upwards, seeing Mary standing at the edge of the great hole, still angry, still filled with hate, still looking as if she regretted every moment of love she shared with the man.

"**_I WOULD NEVER LOVE ANYONE LIKE YOU! NEVER!_**"

The man reached out for his love but it was too late; he had fallen too far.

"**_BUT I LOVE YOU! I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU, MARY!_**"

Even with all the words of love had to tell Mary, they had fallen on deaf ears.

No one heard him but at this point, no one wanted to hear him.

They just wanted him gone and now, they had all gotten their wish.

Gene continued to fall and scream, the hole he had found himself in seemingly endless. The darkness surrounded him but in a sudden flash, he found himself surrounded from all directions by a strange unearthly bluish glow. The man was blinded for a moment from the light but as his vision came to, he began to notice that the flashes of light were actually composed from another source but given how fast he was moving, he couldn't see what they were.

"W-what are those things?!"

And then-!

He stopped!

Gene yelped in shock as he felt the sudden stop from his fall and a sharp pull back. He froze, waving his arms and legs in the air as he found he was somehow frozen in place but as he looked around, he got a good glimpse of what the objects that surrounded him.

They were images.

Countless images!

The man tried his best to look around, his body still hanging in the space but as he got another look, he began to realize that the pictures weren't just of anyone.

"Is…is that-?!"

They were images of HIM!

Gene was astounded to find himself facing what seemed to be millions upon MILLIONS of photos of himself. Some of them were just of the man alone but most of them showed him with another man.

A large wrecker in red.

"RALPH?!"

The mayor focused in as close as he could and saw another detail that tied the pictures together, that being that in each photo Gene looked less than pleased. In fact, NONE of the photos showed Gene with a smile on his face or in a situation where he looked pleased.

And most damning of all were the photos of him with Ralph.

In each and everyone one of those photos, the little Nicelander looked as if he were bickering with Ralph, just as they had been those many years ago.

It was a painful thing for Gene to face but he couldn't escape it. No matter how much he wanted to blocked out the images, no matter how much he wanted to change the view ahead, he could not escape from his past.

Sweat beaded from his brow as he looked forward, unsure HOW to react to what was going on.

"Wh-why is this happening?!"

**WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MESS UP EVERYTHING?!**

Gene turned and squeaked in shock, surprised to hear his own voice echoing loudly throughout the space. He looked around, almost as if he were trying to convince himself that the voice was not his own but someone else.

"W-what?! WHO!?"

**CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!**

The man scrabbled in his place, his little arms reaching upwards "Who's there?! WHO'S DOING THIS?!"

**LOOK AT THIS MESS YOU'VE DONE! **

**YOU CAN NEVER BE ANYTHING BUT THE BAD GUY!**

**KEEP AWAY FROM ME YOU BIG BRUTE!**

**YOU DON'T BELONG WITH YOU, YOU MONSTER!**

Somehow, Gene was able to free himself a bit and the first thing he did was curl himself into a little ball, his ears covered and his eyes shut tight. He was desperate to drown out the screeching sounds of his own voice not because he couldn't stand the sound….

But it was the words.

The WORDS are what hurt the most because he knew that they were things that HE had said.

Things that he had said that hurt Ralph, that shunned him, that painted the man as nothing more than a monster.

But with the way things had gone in the church, the only person everyone viewed as a monster was Gene.

The man twitched and kicked, his teeth clenched as if he were in pain.

"Stop, stop, _**STOOOP!**_" Gene roared, trying his best to cover his ears "STOP IT! STOP IT! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?! WHY-!?"

**YOU'RE JUST THE BAD GUY WHO WRECKS THE BUILDING!**

**YOU'RE JUST THE BAD GUY WHO WRECKS THE BUILDING!  
**  
**_YOU'RE JUST THE BAD GUY WHO WRECKS THE BUILDING!_**

Those words.

Those horrible words.

Those were the words that had more or less defined Gene for so many people and as he continued to hold himself, he knew just how useless it was to escape.

"No…I was different back then…." He quivered, as if he expected someone to come to him "I was a terrible person! I admit that!"

Gene then looked at the images, the photos starting to swirl around him and driving him further into insanity.

"**BUT I'VE CHANGED! I'M A BETTER PERSON NOW! I'M NOT A MONSTER! ****_I AM NOT A MONSTER!_**"

And in that moment, Gene felt the pull of gravity once more, his body sailing towards the ground at top speed. The Nicelander screamed at the top of his lungs, looking everywhere for any sort of object he could grab onto but he only continued to fall, his body sailing towards the ground like a rock all before hitting the ground with a terrible **_THUD._**

Gene moaned horribly as the pain rippled through his body, surprised that he was somehow still alive despite taking on an impact like that. He rolled over on his side, every movement even more agonizing than the next.

"_P-please…I can't take this…._" he sobbed, bitter tears rolling down his cheeks and pooling on the floor "_I just want to go home. I-I just want to be myself again…."_

The man shook, biting his lip.

"_I just want to be with Mary…."_

_*Clink*_

The man forced open an eye, looking before him to see a small item rolling before him. It took a moment or two for his vision to come into focus but as he gazed ahead, it was all too clear what the object was.

The ring.

Mary's ring.

Seeing the thing shine brightly before him only brought about more pain to the man and he let out a frustrated cry. He didn't even want to see the thing but there it was laying before him, as if to remind him of how much he had lost in such a short amount of time.

Why was this happening?

"_I-I'm sorry…_"

_Boom._

The ground shook slightly, Gene feeling the vibrations from his place on the floor.

Boom.

"_H-huh?"_

Though he was still in a great deal of pain, Gene managed to twist his body a bit, his neck moving just enough for him to look around. For all he could see, he was in an empty hall, the only light being that above him.

Everything else was shrouded in black.

"_H-hello?_"

Boom!

Once more, Gene tried to force himself to sit up and even though it was terribly painful, he managed to sit up a bit, his back and legs hurting the worst. His head felt like it was spinning on his shoulders but he forced himself to focus, looking around to find just where the booming was coming from, especially since it felt like it was coming closer!

He peered behind himself; nothing.

To the right? Again, nothing.

He then looked forward.

_Boom!_

_There…._

That's where the sound was coming from!

**BOOM!**

The entire area shock, Gene bouncing a bit as he let out a shocked yelp. He could only dread what was awaiting him but as he was unable to move, it wasn't as if he could run and hide.

"W-who's there?!" the man called, his voice shaking.

Boom!

**BOOM!**

**_BOOM!_**

Gene looked forward at the darkness and there before him glowed two BLUE eyes.

Two ANGRY looking blue eyes!

The man managed to push himself backwards but even he knew it was pointless now. Where could he run? Where could he hide?

He was trapped and sooner or later, he was going to come face to face with whatever or WHOEVER this beast was that was staring down at him.

**_BOOM!_**

A shadow began to loom over the man, his eyes growing wider as he shook with fear.

It couldn't be!

It just COULDN'T be!

"_N-no!_"

There before Gene stood a huge figure, one that seemed to be even larger than the apartments of Niceland! The sight rattled Gene to his very code and he found that he couldn't even will up the energy to scream.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to run but he knew he couldn't.

He wanted to escape the figure because the figure he was looking at was HIMSELF.

A towering, sneering version of himself.

Once again, Gene was faced with the crushing feeling of being small and insignificant compared to someone but to see that the thing that had so scared him was HIMSELF? That made things even more painful.

Was this how everyone viewed him now? Did they feel this terrified and threatened?

Everyone was right.

Gene HAD become a MONSTER.

Why would anyone want to be around such a horrible creature?

The giant figure chuckled evilly in his throat as he looked down at the tiny, helpless Nicelander below him. His soulless eyes glowed blue, the color filling the entire area as he took a threatening step towards the real Gene, the man unable to do anything but scoot back but he had nowhere to go.

"W-what do you want with me?!" Gene called up to the towers apparition "I-I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING!"

The giant Gene snorted evilly, gazing down at his miniature copy, his sneer becoming much more frightening.

"_Useless thing…._"

Those were the only words the huge Nicelander said but in those words, Gene knew what was about to happen. And in that realization, the man could feel his soul leaving him.

Giant Gene lifted a foot and slowly made his way towards the tiny man.

"_No…_" the small mayor managed to force out, huddling in fear "**_PLEASE, PROGRAMMERS NO!_**"

The huge shadow of the giant's foot fell over the trembling Nicelander and as it loomed closer, Gene turned away and-!

**DARKNESS.**


	13. Chapter 13- Uncertainty

Chapter Thirteen- Uncertainty

Gene awoke with a start.

The man breathed heavily as he sat up, looking around at his surroundings.

He was still in his game.

He was still in the field.

But most of all, he was still huge.

Shaking horribly, he looked down at his hand for a moment, his heart racing as he dreaded to see if it were bare but to his relief the ring was still on his finger as it had been the night before.

"Oh, **_PROGRAMMERS!_**" the man breathed, placing his hands to his face.

What a nightmare! After coming face-to-shoe with himself, he was surprised he hadn't woken up SCREAMING but dream or not, it was an all too vivid reminder of where Gene was and that was nowhere. He just knew that the residence of the game still didn't want to be near him and he could only thank the programmers that they hadn't acted like they did in his dream.

But that wasn't the worst part of his dream; what hurt so much was how Mary had reacted towards him. Only hours ago she had told the mayor that she would stick by his side, no matter what happened but to see and hear her actions of hate towards him? Even if it were a dream, it just cut too close to home for the man.

That was, if what had happened was even a dream. What if it were something more?

A sign? Perhaps.

Perhaps Gene would manage to get down to his normal size and perhaps he and Mary would make it to the alter.

But then, it would happen again. Gene would be transformed into his massive state and everyone would run in terror from him.

And right there, right in front of everyone to witness, she would reject him, turning her back on him even though her loving promise was the only thing that kept him going at this point.

It could happen.

ANYTHING was possible.

"C'mon, stop with this…." Gene grumbled to himself, placing his hands on his aching back as it cracked loudly "Th-think of something better than that! Like getting back to your own bed!"

What Gene wouldn't do for a good night's rest in his large fluffy bed. His entire body was just ACHING from having slept on the ground all night, proving that while the grass was plush enough to sit on, its use as a SLEEPING SURFACE?

From the Nicelander's own experience, that would have been a resounding NO.

"How does Ralph DO it?! Bricks seem to BUILD HIM UP! I sleep on grass for a few hours and it feels like a parade has walked all over my SPINE! I can only IMAGINE how Mary-!"

Mary!

Gene felt his heart skip as he looked down, surprised to find that the tiny Nicelander was still sound asleep on her little cot, almost as if she weren't bothered by anything in the slightest.

Apparently, she was much more comfortable than Gene was given that she didn't show any signs of discomfort.

"Well, at least you're doing better than me…." The man said softly, gently stroking his love on the head with a finger.

Gene looked around, not having a single clue as to what time it was but from what little light he could see from the edge of the sky box, the rays of the morning sun were just starting to peek through the arcade. He sighed, feeling guilty for making Mary sleep with him the entire night. While it was nice to have her by his side, she didn't need to be dragged through this, even if they were engaged.

No, Mary didn't need any more stress to go through and it was at that moment Gene realized that something needed to be done. He no longer cared about Mouse's warnings and her advice to let the code run its course. Gene knew he had to return to normal and the sooner, the better!

After all, what would Niceland be without its Mayor?

Deep down though, there was another reason why Gene was so concerned about finding a solution and it wasn't just about Mary. In truth, the mayor was still scared. Still scared at the possibility that things COULDN'T be reversed.

What would happen then if he were stuck this way?

Most of the non-Fix-it-Felix Jr. characters had made it loud and clear that they didn't enjoy the prospects of having a giant Nicelander in their midst so Gene could only imagine their reactions if it were revealed there was no going back and besides them, what would the rest of the arcade say?

How would this tarnish everyone's reputation?

Gene rubbed his temples, feeling a migraine coming on. He knew better than this; the more he worried, the more frazzled his mind became and if that were to continue…

He would continue to glitch.

And if he continued to glitch, he would get bigger.

And that was something he did NOT want to happen.

A soft hum hit Gene's ears, the man peering down below to see Mary stirring a bit in her sleep.

Dear sweet Mary. If only Gene had her courage then maybe he would be able to handle things much better. He felt like every moment Mary spent with him, he was putting her in danger. He felt as if he were a ticking time-bomb and if something were to happen to her because of him, he just didn't know what he would do.

But Mary had made a promise to him and that was to stick by his side, no matter what.

But what was the cost of that?

It couldn't have been clearer to Gene then at that moment; he desperately needed someone to bring him down to size.

"_I-if I'm doing this for anyone…._" Gene said to himself as he reached down for Mary, carefully picking her up in his enormous hands "_I'm doing this for you._"

Thankfully, Gene was careful enough with Mary that the sudden movement of being lifted off the ground hadn't jolted the woman from her sleep. Much to his shock, Mary seemed to find comfort in being held by the huge man, her eyes opening slowly as she looked around.

"_O-oh, what's-?_"

Gene held his breath, hoping that Mary wouldn't become upset upon finding herself several stories in the air.

The tiny Nicelander yawned cutely, looking sleepily at Gene "_H-Honey?_"

"_Good morning, dear…_" Gene whispered, a timid smile on his face "_Sorry if I awoke you too soon…._"

Mary seemed to be drifting in and out of her state of slumber as she looked up at her fiancé, believing that the giant man in front of her was just a product of her dreams.

And from the way she was behaving, her dreams were much more sound that than of the Mayor's.

"Dear, what…." Mary yawned again, gripping the comforters around her tightly "What did I tell you?"

Gene gave his fiancé a confused look, "Er, excuse me?"

Mary smiled dreamily as she laid back into Gene's hands, "Mmn, I TOLD you you'd get as big as the apartments from eating too much."

Gene couldn't help but smile, Mary's reaction to him making him feel slightly better.

"I guess you were right…" the mayor played along, rising to his feet as he prepared to make the trek back to the apartments "But what are you going to do now, huh?"

Mary snuggled deeper into her blankets, the cloth wrapped around her like some sort of fluffy cocoon "I'll figure something out…_riiiight after I take a little nap._" She yawned as she fell back to sleep, a smile on her face.

The mayor chuckled as his fiancé slept in his hand, "Maybe it would be best if you took the day off, my sweet…."

"Mmmn!" the tiny Nicelander in pink pouted in her sleep "I said no more sweets!"

* * *

"I tell ya Ralphie!" Felix yawned, stretching his limbs "I am **_SO_** glad today is Saturday!"

"You an' me both!" Ralph laughed, cracking his huge knuckles "Maybe then, we can finally get some work done on bringin' ol Gene back down to his mini-size!"

"You're tellin' me!" the repairman replied "Ya have NO IDEA how worried I was last night when both he an' Mary went back inta tha forest!"

"Heh, its not like anythin' could get em…." the wrecker grinned "All Gene has ta do is give 'em a good **_STOMP_** an' any danger is gone!"

Felix glared up at Ralph, his arms crossed "Now Raaaalph, ya know better than ta make light of this situation!"

Ralph snorted a laugh "C'mon, Felix! Ya know ya would PAY some serious coin to see Gene go King Kong on a few people!"

Felix tried his best to remain serious in front of Ralph but the more he thought of the image of a building-scaling Nicelander, the more obvious it became that he did think it was funny. A smile fought its way through the repairman's frown and without saying another word, both he and Felix ERUPTED into laughter.

"Okay, okay. We had a good laugh!" Felix sighed with a smile, shaking his head "Let's not let it get in tha way of work, okay?"

"A'course not!" Ralph chuckled "Though it WILL be a lil disappointin' not to have anyone to throw AGAIN. I mean, no offense to any of the Nicelanders but the job isn't that much fun without a few of them to chuck around!"

*BONK!*

"Ow, hey!" the wrecker cried, surprised to find and FEEL something hitting him in the back of his head. He looked down, seeing a single grapefruit rolling at his feet and as he looked up, he was greeted by none other than Deanna, the woman peering down at both wrecker and repairman from her window, another grapefruit in her hand and ready to throw.

"Yeah, I heard that BIG GUY." the woman cooed playfully, her fingers just ITCHING to throw another fruit at Ralph.

Ralph chuckled nervously, putting a hand behind his head and blushing "Ya know I meant that in a GOOD WAY, Dee-Dee!"

Felix was just about to jump in between the brewing fruit flinging when he felt a large tremor hit the area.

"What in tha-?"

Wrecker, repairman, and Nicelanders alike focused their attentions towards the woods, the tremors only increasing as a large shadow appeared from the darkness but Ralph quickly realized that there was nothing to be afraid of. The large man crossed his arms against his chest, smiling smugly.

"Well, I guess someone's back!"

Not a second later, Gene emerged from the woods. It was obvious that the Nicelander was a little embarrassed as he stood before the other two men, his eyes averted and his head slightly turned.

"G-good morning, gentlemen…." The mayor mumbled, still holding the sleeping Mary in his hands "I hope you had a good night's sleep…."

"Good marrow to you as well, SIR!" Ralph said in a joking tone "It is wonderful to see the Mayor return to the Land of NICE!"

"Well, at least you're not SCREAMING at me…." Gene grumped, giving Ralph a sarcastic look "I only came here to return Mary to her apartment. After that, I'm going back into the woods."

"Aw, GENE! Stop runnin' away!" Felix said, his hands on his sides "If this is about tha kids bumpin' against the game, I'm certain Litwak will make sure no one else fights around tha games! Ya know how he is with kids rough-housin' in tha arcade so-!"

"I'm not worried about anyone bumping into the game, young man…." interrupted Gene "This is just a step of caution I'm taking for the sake of everyone here! I know **_YOU_** might not like it but-!"

"_Pffft, ya sure 'bout that?_" Ralph snickered under his breath.

Gene gave the man a tired scowl but he refrained himself from saying anything.

Oh, he was SO tempted in giving Ralph another flick.

"_As I was __**SAYING**__…_" Gene huffed, his voice gruff "It's just something that I find helps. And I want to help everyone as much as possible! Even in…even in my current condition."

Felix tipped his hat up towards Gene but the look on his face said everything. The repairman was upset that Gene was once again running away from the others but what could he really do to stop him? Not only did Felix know that once Gene made up his mind, it was next to IMPOSSIBLE to make him think otherwise but considering that the Nicelander stood nearly as large as the apartments….

It would be rather difficult to stop him now.

"Alright, alright. I can understand…." Felix said sadly "But if you're goin' anywhere, don't go too far, okay? I get worried whenever one of ya guys go off somewhere that I don't know about!"

Gene nodded, "That sounds reasonable enough, young man. Perhaps if I stay close enough, I can still monitor everyone, JUST to make sure things are running smoothly!"

Ralph couldn't help but snicker, turning away from Gene; the mayor was so full of it. No matter what the situation was, Gene **_ALWAYS_** had to have the satisfaction of knowing he was at least in charge of **_SOMETHING_**, even if it were pointless and made up on the fly.

"Don't worry, sir!" Felix winked, twirling his hammer in the air "I'll have your back if anythin' should go awry!"

With Felix still on his side, the mayor felt more at ease though his concern wasn't completely erased from his mind.

_He still had ONE more thing to ask. _

Taking a hand, Gene pushed the repairman to the side, a nervous look on his face "Felix?"

"Er, YES?" asked Felix, looking up at Gene nervously.

Gene's eyes darted around a bit, as if he were afraid that there were others around the two "_Um….may I speak with you? In __**PRIVATE?**_"

Felix and Ralph exchanged glances, not sure of what to take of the situation but Felix knew better than to say no to Gene.

Saying NO to a giant is NEVER a good idea!

"Um, sure!" Felix grinned "Feel free ta tell me anythin'!"

Gene nodded but he then looked towards Ralph, holding his hand out towards the man. At first, Ralph didn't know what to make of the action but once he saw Mary, still sleeping peacefully in Gene's hands, he quickly realized what the mayor wanted him to do.

"Um, you wouldn't mind taking her to the atrium? Put her on the couch so she can get some rest?" asked the mayor.

Ralph took Mary gently into his arms, giving Gene a smug smile "Heh, will do, Big Gene!"

Once Ralph was out of sight, Gene made his way back to the edge of the forest, Felix trailing along behind him.

"So, what can I do for ya mayor?"

"Felix…." Gene said, his voice a bit hoarse "While I am aware that Cadet Mouse told us that waiting things out would be the best things to do for this situation, I just….."

Gene stopped, biting his tongue a bit. A little baffled, Felix walked up to the mayor, a hand out in concner.

"You just WHAT?"

"I can't take the wait any more, Felix. I just can't."

"Oh, Gene…." Felix said sadly "I know this is hard for ya, but there isn't that much I can do! I'd just give ya a hit with my hammer but Tammy said it would just strengthen the effects of the code on ya!"

"Yes, I heard about that…." Gene sighed "But you've done enough already, and I thank you for that. I just…maybe…."

"Well? What?"

"I know I'm going to sound like an annoying git but can you please, PLEASE get either your wife or Ms. Mouse to help me again?" the mayor pleaded "I just can't wait a WEEK for this to POSSIBLY wear off! ONE DAY is too much for me right now and-!"

"Gene…." The repairman cut-in, holding a hand up "I can understand…."

The mayor gave Felix a befuddled look "R-really?"

"Well, as much as I can understand wantin' ta fix somethin' as soon as possible!" the other man replied with a smile "Tha whole bein' fifty feet tall thing? _Nooot_ so much!"

The look on Gene's face told Felix everything; he was happy to hear someone was going to help!

"S-so are you going to ask Calhoun to help-?!"

"Yup!" the repairman nodded, his smile bright "Me or Ralph will head over ta HD if there's a lull at work but don't worry 'bout a thing! I'm sure they'll understand once we explain things!"

Gene just nodded, a bit of light shining through his eyes as hope began to fill him once more. He was so thankful that Felix was going to come through, just as he always did, and he could only hope that Calhoun and the others at Hero's Duty wouldn't be too annoyed with him for frequenting their help so soon again.

If things went right, Gene could once again return to normal.

His life would go about the way he wanted.

But most of all….

He could be with Mary again.

The familiar sound of the arcade doors opening caught the attention of both repairman and Nicelander, the two looking towards the skybox.

"Well, time ta get ready for work!" Felix beamed, adjusting his hat. As he walked off, he suddenly stopped, turning back towards Gene "Hey! What are ya waitin' for?"

Gene peered around the area, uncertain that Felix was even addressing him.

"ME?"

"No, the bear behind ya!" Felix laughed "Of course I mean YOU, Gene! I'm not gonna have ya spend tha entire day in tha forest again! C'mon an' sit by tha apartments for a bit! Ya know tha camera doesn't pan over ta East Niceland!"

The mayor was a bit hesitant at first, remembering the words that many of his other neighbors had told him "Are you SURE that's a wise idea? I mean, aren't you concerned that I might, _ahem_, **_TRAMPLE_** someone?"

"Aw, Gene! Give yourself a bit of credit!" Felix snorted "An' I'm sure by now, everyone knows ya mean no harm to 'em!"

The blue Nicelander rolled his eyes; if only he knew.

"Alright Felix, if you insist…." The mayor sighed, trying his best to appear calm and composed in front of his friend "I mean! Heh, I guess I **_DO_** owe it to the people of this game to show my face through this! I **_AM_** the mayor after all!"

Felix continued to smile up at Gene, the repairman leading the mayor from the darkness of the forest, just happy to have the man out in the open. Not too far away, a little woman began to stir from her slumber, stretching her tired limbs as she sat up.

"Oh, my….I guess I slept longer than I thought!"

It took a few second but after looking around, the pink Nicelander began to realize that she wasn't back in her own apartment. In fact, she wasn't in ANY of the apartments at all but instead she had been placed on the couch that resided in the front hall of the building.

Mary rubbed her eyes, looking about for anyone "W-wait…is this the atri-?"

_***BOOM!***_

The little woman let out a squeak as a large tremor nearly caused her to fall off the couch but once she saw a familiar figure cross her gaze, any fear she had was quickly forgotten.

Gene!

Mary just sat on the couch, watching her fiancé make his way over towards East Niceland, looking about once or twice as if he were checking on something. After a few seconds, he finally sat down, his attention drawn on Felix and Ralph as they got into position.

At first, Mary couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was certain that Gene would have remained in the woods all things considered but she stopped herself once she realized something. Somehow, for whatever reason, Gene was back. Though she was unaware of the discussion that the mayor and Felix had had earlier, Mary was just happy to see that the man was no longer isolating himself to the forest and was back with the others!

Mary got off the couch and walked closer to the window, her hands pressed on the glass as she got a look at her fiancé. From her view, he didn't look like he had changed THAT much during the night but she could tell that the man was tired. What made her so happy those was the smile on his face.

Just seeing it brought delight to Mary's heart because in that small gesture the Nicelander knew that her love was still there. His form might have been changed drastically, and not everyone was happy about it….

But to see him smile?

At least that was a sign that he was okay.

And in her heart, Mary knew that from there things could only get better.

The woman beamed, her rosy cheeks glowing.

"_He's back!_"


	14. Chapter 14- Loyalty

Chapter Fourteen- Loyalty

"An' just WHERE do ya think **_YOU'RE_** goin'?" asked Taffyta, a lollipop held between her teeth.

"If ya must knoooow, SWEETIE-KINS…" Vanellope replied poshly "Since Minty plowed through me yesterday an' took my spot, _aaaaahm_ headin' off ta Fix-it-Felix! I wanna see if my predictions were right!"

Taffyta smiled and rolled her eyes "WHAT predictions?"

"That Mayor Jumbo is the size of the apartments now!" the raven haired racer grinned "I'm on a bettin' pool with some of the guys from Frogger an' if I'm right, I get fifty bucks!"

"Ya know, considering the situation you're awfully excited about this…."

"Taffyta! C'mon!" the other girl shrugged "Its FIFTY bucks! Ya can't beat that!"

"Well, have fun or whatever ya plan on doin'! For now, I'm staying as far away from that game as I can!" the strawberry racer shivered "The thought of bein' stomped is enough to make my skin crawl!"

"Sorry! Couldn't hear ya! I'm off ta Ralph's!" Vanellope laughed, skipping over to her kart.

It didn't take long for the girl to blast her way into Game Central Station, much too excited at the moment to even care that she might have hit a pedestrian or two.

"Sorry! Just bill me tha ticket later!" she laughed, her eyes dead-set on Fix-it-Felix Jr. "Alright, almost there and-!"

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" called out a familiar wrecker, the man jumping out of nowhere.

Vanellope let out a scream as she slammed on the breaks but to her luck, Ralph was able to stop her in place, his foot planted right on her bumper.

"Hang on kid, where do ya think you're goin'?" the man chuckled, looking down at the tiny girl.

"Where do ya THINK I'm headin'?" Vanellope said, trying her best to back out from under Ralph's foot "I'm just gonna see how Mayor Genezilla is doin'!"

Ralph shook his head as he looked down at his friend, grabbing onto the cart and carrying it AWAY from the game!

"Aww, how **_SWEET_**..." The man said, sarcasm DRIPPING from his voice "I bet from your point of view, this is all a barrel of laughs but I think it would be best if we let Gene be right now."

"Aw come on, Stink-Breath!" Vanellope pouted "Ya make it sound like I'm out ta annoy tha man or somethin'!"

Ralph arched an eyebrow as he gently nudged the kart forward with his foot "Would ya be offended if I said that's EXACTLY what I knew you were gonna do?"

"YES!"

"Let's go, Fart-Feathers…" Ralph laughed, heading over to Hero's Duty "We have other things to take care of!"

The small child looked up at her friend, "Oh, like what?"

Ralph smiled warmly, walking alongside the candy kart "Look, as funny as tha whole situation is right now, Gene…."

Suddenly the man stopped, putting a hand to his temple.

Another small headache.

"_Darn it…._"

Ralph let out a small groan as he continued to rub his temple. It had been a few hours since these headaches had begun and he could only blame them on the calamity that had been going on in the game. After all, Ralph had gotten so little sleep during the fiasco so it was no wonder his head was starting to hurt.

"_Nngh, sorry kid…._"

"Somethin' wrong?" asked Vanellope, looking a bit concerned at her friend.

Ralph sighed, putting his hands back to his sides "Its nothin', kiddo. Just a lil worn out from everythin' that's been happenin'…"

The little racer continued to steer though she kept her eyes on her friend "So where are we headin' again?"

"Ta Hero's Duty…" smiled Ralph "I'm just going to check to see if Mouse has gotten any closer to figure out how to reset Gene's code correctly!"

"I still say we should let things run its course!" Vanellope pouted, getting a rather haughty look on her face "An' besides, ya remember, as Ms. Mouse always says, 'the dangers that can come from forcing code to reset!'"

"Hey, it worked on YOU, why shouldn't it work on Gene?"

Vanellope continued to pout cutely, gripping onto the steering wheel harder "Oh, POO. You just wanna ruin my fun!"

Again Ralph stopped in his tracks but it wasn't because of a head ache. He sighed all before turning on his feet and picking up the kart, Vanellope of course still inside.

"H-Hey! What are ya doin' Ralph!" the girl shrieked "Ya tryin' ta jack me or somethin'?!"

"C'mere , lil bit. I need ta talk with ya…" the wrecker said as he pulled the kart over to a bench. Once she was placed back on the ground, Vanellope hopped out of her kart, the girl looking none too pleased.

"Okay, what was that all about?!"

"Nelly, I want ya ta think about somethin' for a moment…" Ralph began "I know all of this seems like fun an' games to ya but, _an' I can't believe I'M askin' ya this_, but have ya thought for a moment how GENE feels about what's goin' on?"

Vanellope crossed her arms "A-A'course I have! I mean, I **_WAS_** there when we got his big booty outta tha apartments, so it's SILLY ta say I don't know how he feels!"

The wrecker gave his friend an unimpressed look, "Vanellope? **_REALLY?_**"

The little racer scowled up at Ralph but after a second, the frown began to disappear, replaced with a cute look of guilt.

It was just the look Ralph was giving her! She couldn't beat it, especially when she knew he was right!

"_Okay, ya got me…._" She huffed, taking a seat next to Ralph "But c'mon, fart-brains! This is Gene we're talkin' about here an' a **_HUGE_** one at that! How can we **_NOT_** take some opportunities with this an-!"

"Nelly, he's tired! We're **_ALL_** tired!" the man sighed "An' as fun as it is ta tease tha lil guy, don't ya think he's had enough?"

Vanellope didn't say a word, her little legs kicking in the air as they hung over the bench. She found it a tad hard to look Ralph in the face at the moment considering what he had just asked her and why wouldn't she find it hard? After all, this was MAYOR GENE the two were talking about!

The same man who made Ralph's life miserable for over **_THIRTY YEARS_**.

The same man who saw Ralph as nothing but the bad guy.

The same man who so long ago wouldn't even give Ralph the time of day.

For a while, Vanellope found it fitting that Gene was dealt such a hand but the more she thought about it, the more she began to realize something.

Maybe, just MAYBE Ralph was right on this but through her own stubbornness, she wasn't ready to admit it.

"Ya can't be serious, Ralph!" the girl snickered "After everythin' that's happened between you an' Gene! I mean, he let ya stew in a garbage dump for thirty years! Why not let him wait it out?"

"Because it just wouldn't be right of me…." Ralph replied calmly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Vanellope just looked up at her friend, a little confused "What do you mean?"

"Think about it kid. I know tha lil blueberry an' I aren't the BEST of friends but we've….we've come some way since what happened. I know that a few months can't make up for EVERYTHIN' but with what's happenin' now? I just can't leave him like this, especially when both he an' Mary are so worried!"

Vanellope blinked, looking up at Ralph with wide eyes "Ya really feel that way?"

"Y-yeah!" Ralph replied, shaking his head "I mean, every time I look at those two, I feel BAD, but-!"

Again, Ralph couldn't help but chuckle. He couldn't believe things had come to this point between himself and Gene.

"After all the times I used to tease him for being short! When he finally **_DOES_** get some height to him, it turns into a disaster!"

Vanellope sat back down on the bench, twiddling her fingers "So…even if Gene did all those bad things ta ya…."

"No, I can't leave him like this." Ralph smiled, putting a hand back on his temple "Believe it or not, I do feel bad for tha guy, probably because I already KNOW what it's like to be in that type of position."

Ralph snorted a laugh, rubbing his nose.

"Okay, I don't know what it's like to be nearly fifty feet tall but I do know what it's like ta have everyone think you're gonna destroy somethin' at a moment's notice an….an I wouldn't want ANYONE ta feel that way."

"Even Gene?" Vanellope asked cutely, her eyes big and bright.

Ralph nodded "Even Gene…."

Vanellope looked back down at her feet, still a little surprised to hear such words spoken from Ralph. The more she thought about it, the more she began to realize that perhaps there was some truth in what he was saying. She then began to think more of what Ralph had said, especially the part about both the mayor and Mary. The little racer could only imagine how both Nicelanders felt at the moment, unsure of what would happen to each other.

They LOVED each other and there they were, stuck in an UNBELIEVABLE situation where neither knew how to help the other.

On one hand, Gene wanted to ensure everyone in the game that things would be fine and nothing would happen to them but with some of the residence, they didn't believe a single word he was saying. In fact, they were making things more DIFFICULT.

The way he had been acting, the way he had been keeping to himself? Part of it was because he was embarrassed but it was also because he was scared he would hurt someone, which was something he desperately did not want to do. Vanellope had already witnessed how worried Gene could get when he put his neighbors in danger. Who knew how much worse it could get if he were left in the state that he was in.

Then there was Mary.

Dear, sweet Mary.

She had done such a valiant job in keeping Gene calm and stable but she was just one Nicelander and even she had her limits. What would happen to her if she were to learn that the person she loved, the person she held so dear, would never be the same again?

And then there was that final scenario, the one that made being as big as an apartment seem like nothing.

What if Gene's code became so damaged that...

_That Mary would lose him?_

Vanellope felt a chill go up her spine; Yeah, Gene needed help.

"So…ya really feel that way?"

"Hey, when someone is havin' a hard time in MY game, I don't leave 'em hangin'! Or…when someone's been…GIGANTORED, ya don't leave 'em…"

Ralph scratched his head, trying to come up with something pithy.

"Ya don't leave that way because sooner or later, who knows when they could FLICK me again! Ya saw what Gene could do!"

"Okay, okay! I get your point!" The girl said "But I'm still upset that he didn't bust outta tha game! Do ya know how cool that would be?"

"Well, if ya think its so cool, why don't ya try it on yourself?" Ralph chuckled, giving the girl a teasing smile as he waggled his fingers above his head "Ah! Think of tha STAAAAARS! Ya could see them for miles an' miles!"

"Heck no!" Vanellope blurted, putting up her hands "Someone needs to test the air out there! We might not be able to breath!"

The large wrecker let out a hearty laugh as he got off the bench, "C'mon kid. The sooner we talk to Mouse, the sooner all of this can end."

"Hey wait! I still have a met with Frogger!"

"Nelly, you an' these BETS! You're as bad as ME!"

_*GLITCH!*_

Ralph grunted in pain as he felt the twinge of another headache coming on, the feeling as is someone had stuck him in the head with a pin.

Vanellope cocked her head to the side, watching her friend's movements "Er, you're still with me, right Ralph?"

The wrecker might have been standing right beside Vanellope but in his own mind, he didn't feel like he was completely there. Ralph just couldn't shake off the odd feeling that was now going through his body. His arms and legs felt prickly, as is someone were lightly brushing something coarse against his skin but that wasn't the only thing that felt off. Despite the warmth in the station, Ralph felt a chill swirl around every part of his body. It was a little unnerving, especially as it was followed by what he had first thought to have been a measly stress-induced headache.

Was there something more to this?

No, no it couldn't have been. It was just worry and a lack of sleep, that's all!

Vanellope continued to look up at her friend, growing even more worried "H-hey, you're not gonna fall out on me are ya?"

"Mmm? Oh, nah!" Ralph smiled "Like I said, it's just everything that's goin' on, that's all!"

_*GLITCH!*_

"_Urgh, I need sleep…."_

As it just so happened, Ralph wasn't the only one who was starting to feel a bit under the weather. Back inside Niceland, Felix made his way back up to his apartment.

"Wish Tammy didn't have ta do tha late clean up duty…" the man sighed as he removed his cap, running his fingers through his hair "If there is someone who could use a bit of snugglin' right now, it's me!"

*GLITCH!*

The sudden sharp pain was just enough to send Felix tumbling over to the couch, the small repairman hissing in pain as he could feel the throbbing in this temples.

"J-Jiminy! What in tha world is THAT?!"

Just as soon as it began, it ended but that didn't mean that Felix was left unshaken. If anything, he began to feel a might ill, as if every bit of activity that he had done that day came onto him in that moment. He moaned a bit, laying down on the couch as he placed his arm over his eyes.

"_Man! T-today must have been harder than ah thought!_" he panted, his worn out body slumped on the couch.

It had to be stress. What else could it have been?


	15. Chapter 15- Errors

Chapter Fifteen- Errors

"Alrighty, Mighty. Just need ta adjust one more thing…." Mouse said to herself, working on yet another device.

"HEY. _HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY….._"

No reply.

"Come on sugar-thighs, I know ya hear me."

Mouse groaned, rolling her eyes "I don't have time for this, Turbo. I have important business to conduct…"

The grey racer smirked, looking at Mouse from the confides of his cell "Oh, I wasn't tellin' ya ta move babe." The man snickered, his eyes planted rather low on Mouse's person "Heh. In fact, ya can stay where ya are for all I care. I enjoy the view you're givin' me!"

Mouse scowled as she glared at Turbo "Wow! With that garlic charm, no wonder girls can't resist ya!"

Turbo snickered as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Oh, do I hear a bit of fire in your voice? Heh, I've always liked that in my girls!"

Before Turbo could say another word, a MASSIVE fist pounded on the glass walls of his prison, the little man crying out in shock as he fell over on his behind. After a moment or two, he looked up, peering into the eyes of Ralph.

And the wrecker did NOT look happy.

"_Thought I smelled garbage…._" Turbo snarled, getting back on his feet.

"Say Mouse, ya know if this lil booger is givin' ya any trouble, ya can always call me…" Ralph snarled, cracking his enormous hands.

Mouse laughed, humored at the thought"Don't worry about it Big Guy! Turbo knows full well what can happen to him if he even **_THINKS_** about pulling another stunt."

Her eyes looking directly at the gray racer, Mouse made sure that Turbo could see the large gun that was in her hip holster, the woman stroking it gracefully.

"_Oh, does he KNOW!_"

The former racer could only growl, his blood boiling at the fact that no matter how much he wanted to break free, he was still a prisoner in the arcade.

_One day….ONE DAY._

"Sooo, lemme guess…" Mouse said, her mood suddenly becoming rather bright "You guys have come here to ask me once again if I've found any sort of do-dad to return your Mayor back to his HUGGABLE size, right?"

"Aw Mousie, are ya a mind reader?" Vanellope snickered as she hopped into an empty chair, spinning it.

Mouse sighed, turning her head away "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news guys but I've STILL stumped about how to go through this! I mean, I've run through the calculations over and over again! I'm looked over the binary, I've tried to come up with a hack, I've done everything!"

Vanellope scooted over to Mouse and playfully knocked on her head "Everything? Not with the massive amount of brains I know are in this noggin'!"

"Trust me kid, when I SAY everything, I MEAN everything!" Mouse groaned, burying her face in her hands "I mean….this is something I have **_NEVER_** seen before! **_EVER!_** Gene's code is so muffed up at the moment, that it would take me a few days to put it back together by myself! That's why I said that it might just be easier to let the entire thing run its course! I know it's gonna take a while but it's safer than me rearranging his code myself!"

"I can understand your sentiment Mousie but I don't think the chubster can take this much longer!" Ralph said "He an' Mary are MISERABLE an' Gene's convinced that he's gonna be like **_PERMANENTLY!_**"

Mouse gave Ralph an offended look, hitting the side of the table with her hand "Really? REALLY!?"

"Uh, did we say something wrong?" Vanellope meeped, backing away from the solider.

Mouse threw her arms up into the air "Urgh! I TOLD you guys this won't be PERMANENT! Is it really that difficult to listen to me?!"

The woman turned to Ralph, scowling up at him with her hands on her hips. Without warning she reached up and PULLED hard on the man's ears, the wrecker yelping in pain.

"'Specially with ears THIS big! I know ya can hear me!"

"OW! OW! Okay, I get the point Mouse! _Ow…._"

"Whoa, chill out a lil?" the little racer said with a nervous grin "Y-ya know how tense things are right now! Mayor Genie just needs a little reassurance…_I guess._"

"I NEED A BIT OF REASSURANCE!" Mouse snapped, nearly knocking both Ralph and Vanellope on the ground in her anger "I mean, GEEZE! Don't you guys know how much I've been bustin' my BUTT with this! Tha big blue thing is makin' it seem like I'm wastin' my time here!"

"Mouse, MOUSE! Calm down!" Vanellope said "We know you're doin' everythin' ya can!"

The woman slumped in her chair, shaking her head "Okay, okay…sorry about that, guys. It's just…."

"It's just what?"

The tech rubbed the bridge of her nose her long legs draped over the arms of her chair "Look, ya remember what happened whan that virus attacked you game?"

Vanellope shuddered, gripping her arms "Huuuh! Do I EVER!"

"Well, in that case I'm faced with a SIMILAR challenge. An' by that I mean unless I can figure out an ALTERNATIVE to getting' Gene's code back in line NOW, I'm faced with pullin' out another FMR!"

FMR.

Full Memory Reset.

Ralph felt a lump form in his throat once those words came from Mouse's mouth. He KNEW what a full reset could do and it was not a good thing. True, it would reset Gene's code and return him to normal, everything fixed properly and not a pixel out of place, but with that bit of perfection it came with a price.

A very heavy one.

_Gene wouldn't remember anything from the past thirty years._

Both Ralph and Mouse knew they couldn't let something like that happen, especially since they were well aware that if Gene lost his memories.

Sure, what would the gamers care? To them, the only thing they would see would be the guy that Ralph threw out of the window but with his memories set back to zero, everything would be different and in a way that would affect EVERYONE.

But most importantly, the new memories would affect Mary because SHE wouldn't be there.

No wonder Mouse had been working herself to the bone. She was trying her best to come up with a way to help Gene without risking removing any of his memories but unlike the case of the virus in Sugar Rush, this time things were proving to be a bit more difficult.

At least in the Sugar Rush case, all Mouse had to do was set Vanellope and Taffyta's code back online after they had shut down to protect themselves when the virus had been deleted. Aside from that, Sugar Rush also had the advantage of having stronger hardware than Fix-it-Felix Jr. Sure, a game from 1997 was still dated but it proved that it could withstand some of the stronger tools Mouse had at her disposal.

But Fix-it-Felix Jr?

In this case, Mouse had to work as if everything were made of glass. One wrong move on her part and Gene's code wouldn't the only on at risk. EVERY character, Ralph, Felix, Mary, and the rest of the Nicelanders would be put in danger.

For the first time, Mouse had found herself stumped and both racer and wrecker could tell that this was a position that the tech did not like to find herself in. Mouse was so used to solving EVERYTHING, no matter the challenge or the difficulty, that hitting a wall like this was starting to annoy he.

She couldn't stand it. She couldn't stand the feeling of knowing she was letting people down, that she had failed, that she couldn't work her way towards another solution.

She didn't want anyone to think that she couldn't handle this. She didn't even want to admit to herself that she couldn't handle it.

And that's why she had to go on!

She growled, rubbing her forehead as she looked back at the glowing screen of her computer.

"Ya know I'm not gonna let ya guys down! I refuse to!"

"Thanks Mousie but are ya sure ya can take much more of this?" asked Vanellope, suddenly looking a might worried "I mean, you're not gonna go crazy on us an' bust your head through the computer are ya?"

Mouse grinned "Ya make that sound like doin' that is a BAD thing!"

Ralph gave Mouse a weird look "Somethin' tells me I shouldn't' even ask about that…"

"I WANNA KNOW!" Vanellope smiled.

Ralph placed a hand atop Vanellope's head and pushed her down "NO."

* * *

"Are you alright, sweetie?" asked Mary as she approached Gene.

A shade of pink flushed on the mayor's cheeks as he heard the voice of his darling "O-Oh, I'm just fine dear!"

"Good!" Mary said, a bright smile coming through "I'm just glad that you're back here with us! I was so scared that you'd run away back into the forest!"

Gene hunched down a bit, unsure how to answer the pink Nicelander but he stopped, clearing his throat as he sat up and trying his best to look dignified.

"Run away? Pashaw! What mature ADULT would run away like that?"

Mature adult INDEED.

Mary couldn't help but snicker not just because she found Gene's attempt to act like his usually stuffy self funny but it was just a welcomed sight. After everything that had happened, Mary would rather have a giant fiancé who was slightly grumpy and by her side than one who was hiding himself from her in shame.

"Gene?"

"Yes?"

The pink Nicelander gave Gene an adorable look, her eyelashes fluttering "Can you pick me up again, PLEASE?"

The giant Nicelander turned and gave his fiancé a warm grin, almost akin to a father looking down at his child "**_NO!_**"

The smaller Nicelander let out a laugh as she hopped to her feet "Aw, come on! You mean to tell me after all of this, you're still not willing to give **_MEEEEE_** a little lift? Your PWECIOUS widdle Mary, hmmm?"

Gene placed his pinkie finger atop Mary's head, snorting "My dear, why in the **_ARCADE_** would you want me to pick you up? SURLY, there are other more HELPFUL things I could do other than serve as some sort of lift to you!"

"You could always rent yourself out as a BED. I mean, your tummy is big and soft enough for one now!"

Mary just knew WHERE to land them, especially given the way Gene was now scowling down at her, blushing brightly.

"**DEAR.**"

"Gene, think about it!" Mary smiled cheekily "You're so-! Well, let's say that you have a view the rest of us WISH we had! Have a little fun with it instead of mopping around!"

Gene scooted Mary gently back towards the apartments, pointing right to the penthouse "If you want to get a good view of things, there is a nice spot on the top of the roof so-!"

"GENE!" the woman shouted, giving the man's finger a playful slap "Oooh, stop being a GRUMP and pick me up!"

"Really, Mary! And you say I am stubborn!" the mayor chuckled, rolling his eyes.

The little woman said nothing, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the grass. After a second or so, Gene let out a humored snort, lowering his hand down towards Mary.

"Oh, fine. But don't think you can stay up here all day!"

Mary smiled as she hopped into her fiancé's hand, poking him on the nose once she was high enough "Oh deeear! What do you take me for, hmmm?"

"Someone's who always manages to get her way, no matter how ridiculous her requests are?"

"Darn right!" the pink Nicelander nodded, looking rather proud of herself.

As Gene lifted his hand, Mary was astonished by the view she saw; on any other day, the only view she got from a similar height was the view of the skybox but now, she could see EVERYTHING in Niceland.

The trees, the river, the park and the stars.

It was so wonderful.

But what took her breath away the most was HOW she was viewing this wonderful sight.

None of this would have been possible had Gene not been affected by the power-ups and once she realized that, she found herself becoming rather conflicted in her thoughts. Hours ago, she was beside herself in worry over Gene. He was so concerned over whether or not he would be able to stay around his friends without hurting them but now?

Things were much calmer now.

Her fiancé might have been, as she had so eloquently put it, 'as big as the apartments' but in that moment, in that small frame of time, things were wonderful just the way they were.

The mustachoid Nicelander grinned, looking back down at his love "Like what you see?"

"Gene, it's WONDERFUL up here!" Mary chirped "I can see EVERYTHING! The river, the forest! All the apartments and the stars!"

Mary then threw open her arms and closed her eyes, taking in the beauty of what she was seeing.

"Oh, the STARS! They look so beautiful from this view!"

"But Mary, we see the stars like that every day! It's not-!"

"No, no, no! Not THOSE stars!" Mary giggled as she pointed towards the skybox "I'm talking about the stars OUTSIDE the game!"

Gene blinked in confusion as he looked at Mary, not sure of what she meant "Outside?"

Mary nodded "Just take a look!"

At first, Gene wasn't too sure of what in the arcade his fiancé was talking about but doing as she said, the man got back to his feet and moved a bit closer towards the apartment.

And that's when he saw it.

With the arcade dimly lit and the cabinet in the perfect positioned in front of the glass doors of the building, Gene and Mary were able to look upon the night, the indigo-blue sky filled with what seemed to be hundreds upon HUNDREDS of blinking stars.

In all his years of being on the job, Gene had never noticed the sky in such a way before, even when he had a clear view of them from the top of the building.

"_My goodness…."_

Gene continued to hold Mary in his palm but for a moment, his mind was taken off the current state he was in and instead all attention went to the stars. They looked so tiny from the man's point of view but there they were, filling up the entire sky with their radiant glow. Gene could feel a smile forming on his face, feeling much more at ease with only Mary and the stars accompanying him.

There was just something about the view that made Gene realize that there were so many things he and the others had missed out in their time of the game. So many years had gone by for the Nicelanders that they had grown used to their daily routines of handing out pies for Felix. Never once had Gene just thought of STOPPING and putting his duties aside to actually enjoy things, such as the stars that he and Mary were now sharing together.

"I wonder how many there are out there…." The woman sighed.

"M-More than there are bits of binary in our game?" Gene replied, unsure of what to say.

"Get your head out of the system for a while, dear! Enjoy this view while we can!" the woman smiled "But you know? Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to go out there."

"Out there?"

Mary nodded "Yes! Outside the cabinet! I mean, the world is so big and vast! There's so much more to this place than just the games here and sometimes…"

Gene gulped, feeling a bit nervous "_Y-yes, dear?_"

"I just hope that someday, we get a chance to see more! Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Dear, once I get back to normal, w-well watch the stars more often!"

Mary was a little startled by Gene's sudden outburst, turning to see her fiancé eye-to-eye.

"W-well, I don't know about actually going outside the station, b-but when this is FINALLY all over, I'll take you ANYWHERE you want to go! Heck, if I had a way of getting us out into the real world, I WOULD! Just for YOU!"

"You mean it, honey?" Mary asked, her eyes as bright as the stars outside.

A huge smile was now on the mayor's face "Yes! I promise you that Mary!"

A giggle was the only thing Mary could give in return towards Gene, humored by how excited he had gotten at the prospects of going outside of the arcade. Moving closer, Mary patted the man on his nose.

"Alright, alright Genie. I find it sweet you're willing to take lil ol' me arcade-hopping but don't get too excited okay?"

"How can I NOT get excited!" the giant Nicelander exclaimed, still smiling as ideas began to flood his mind "Think about it darling! We have games that are hooked up to online servers now! We can go to any arcade we want! Think about how far we can go! The games we can visit, the people we can see!"

Again Mary laughed, loving each second she was spending with Gene "If we do go someplace 'exotic' for our honeymoon, just promise me one thing…."

"Of course dear! ANYTHING!"

Mary moved closer to Gene, leaning forward on his nose "Promise me you won't this height thing get to you again. Please?"

Gene blushed deeply, unsure of what to say "Uh, s-sure dear! I-I mean-!"

_Riiiiii~_

Gene twitched a bit as he reached for his ear, the sharp buzzing that had plagued him before returning. Moving so quickly caused Mary to stumble in his hand, clutching onto the giant Nicelander's fingers for safety.

"OH!" she cried before looking back "Is everything alright up there?"

"_Mmmn…_" Gene groaned to himself, the noise becoming louder to him as he lowered Mary to the ground "_I-I'm fine dear. Just a little ringing in my ears._"

"O-oh, okay!" Mary called up in worry, her concern increasing "Are you sure you don't need me to inform Calhoun about this?"

Gene shook his head, holding his hand out "No, not at all! I'm sure it will pass!"

The little pink Nicelander wasn't so sure, even with Gene's forced smile he was showing towards her "Alright, but if you start feeling odd again I'm not wasting a second to call-!"

_Riiiiii!~_

Mary reached for her ears as she flinched a bit, a sharp piercing buzzing echoing through her skull.

"G-Goodness! What on Earth is THAT?!"

Gene looked down, shock written on his face "You mean you hear it too?!"

Mary cringed, the sound starting to get louder by the second "Aurgh! It sounds like the soundtrack stopped on the WORST note in the score! What's-!"

*GLITCH!*

"**_AURGH!_**"

Once more the painful glitches had returned, Gene folding over as he felt his code twisting and stretching from within. Mary let out a startled gasp as she jumped back, scared that Gene actually MIGHT fall atop her!

"Gene! Are you-?!"

*GLITCH!*

Mary stopped, blinking in shock as she felt an odd chill running up her spine.

"W-what was-?!"

*GLITCH! GLITCH!*

The woman yelped as she looked down at her hands, looking on helplessly as she discovered that not only was Gene glitching….

But she was as well!

"Oh! OH!" the cried "WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"

"QUACK!"

Still glitching, Mary looked off to the side and screamed as a collection of jumbled pixels quickly made their way towards her.

"Mary! Wh-wh-what's WRONG?!" Gene managed to moan through his own pain.

The little Nicelander darted to and from in panic only to quickly dive behind Gene once the pixels were a mere foot from her. Even the huge Nicelander was a little nervous at the creatures but another glitch hit the game.

*GLITCH!*

And what the two Nicelanders though were some sort of monsters turned out to be nothing more than DUCKS, the very same ones that resided in the game! Mary could only look in disbelief as the flock took off into the air, still trying to wrap her mind on what had just happened.

"I-I wasn't the only one who saw that, WAS I?!"

*GLITCH!*

The woman let out a small cry of pain as a shock ran through her body. Helpless and unsure what to do, Gene could only look helplessly, the sight of his beloved going through such pain unbearable.

"**_MARY?!_**"

* * *

"Seriously guys! I know a solution is there! I just…I just have to see this through another way!" Mouse grumbled, leaning back in her chair "My brain! It holds the key! Buuuut, the key is swimming in a ton of junk and will require a lot of cleanin' ta get to."

"Aw, don't fry your brains Ms. Mouse!" Vanellope chuckled, knocking the woman on her head playfully "Unless ya think that would help! Maybe I should use one of your guns on ya!"

Mouse rose in her seat, rubbing her chin "Hmmm, perhaps I'm looking at this from the wrong POV!"

Vanellope blinked, looking up at the woman with wide eyes "Wrong POV? What do ya mean?"

The tech smiled, tapping her keyboard "I've been thinkin' too much like a Hero's Duty character for this an' that's why I keep slammin' face first into walls! All this stuff we have here? All this equipment? Sure, HARDIER games can handle this but for your pal's home, I need to take another approach! A more….CREATIVE approach!"

_*Ba-bump!*_

Sitting in the corner, out of the eye of both tech and racer, Ralph shook his head as the dizzy feeling that had come over him seemed to have returned.

"_Urgh, darn headache…._"

Mouse could feel the wheels turning in her brain now!

"YES! That's it!" she cried, standing tall "I CAN work through this!"

_*Ba-bump!*_

"S-so what's the plan now?" asked Ralph, feeling a bit short of breath for some reason "Ya said that Felix using his hammer was out of the question so what other choice do we have?"

Mouse snickered coyly as she cracked her knuckles "It's all a matter of going back to where the problem started big fella!"

"Sugar Rush?" asked Vanellope.

"Bingo kid!" the tech grinned "And in this case, it's gonna take a few more power-up of yours to get that Nicelander down to size!"

_*Ba-bump!*_

"Hold on a second, if we just pop another power-up on Genie, it'll only add more data for his system to run through! Won't that make things worse?!"

"Ah, ah, AAAAH! Not with a lil hackin' mah dear!" the tech chortled "If I can get my hand on the CORRECT items, I can rewire and rewrite the coding so it might actually cancels out and REPAIR whatever damage was done to Gene's code! Only thing I need ta know is WHAT power-up will work in this case!"

"Then why didn't ya just ask?" Vanellope beamed "You're talkin' ta tha PRESIDENT of Sugar Rush here! I can get ya more power-ups than ya can imagine!"

"Great!" Mouse said powerfully as she got up from her chair "I just need a good run through of the whole list and once I get I chance to see them all, I'll be able to find what items I need!"

"No prob, Mousie!"

_*Ba-Bump!*_

Ralph felt a small wave of warmth wash over him but it wasn't something that led to him feeling better. If anything, the man began to feel worse. He leaned forward a bit, his heart starting to race, the warmth quickly going away as it was replaced by a chill.

"Okay, so how many power-ups were programmed into your game?"

_*Ba-Bump!*_

Ralph's body began to shake all over, his temples throbbing and his hands quaking.

"From what I can remember, there are about one hundred different types of power-ups, INCLUDING hidden ones that can only be accessed through codes!"

_*Ba-Bump!*_

Mouse whistled, running a hand through her hair "Man, that is a lot but given the fact that there is a power-up that makes things bigger, there HAS to be one that makes things small right? Ya know, the whole yin and yang thing of power!"

_*Ba-Bump!*_

"Yeah! The Fun-Sized power-up! Is that all you're gonna need for this?"

_*Ba-Bump!*_

"Mmm-mn! It's not that simple! On top of something that will SHRINK him, I need something that will RESTORE everything back to its DEFAULT setting. If I just used that Fun-Sized thing on him and that alone, Gene would probably shrink out of EXISTENCE!"

"Whoo, from one bad end to another, huh?"

Even with the conversation still going on a few feet away, Ralph could hear nothing aside from the loud echoes of his pounding heart. The man slumped over a bit, his chest aching, feeling akin to if had had ran non-stop for hours! His vision began to blur, Vanellope and Mouse looking like shapeless BLOBS in the dark room.

"_U-urgh! W-why do I feel sick?!_"

_*BA-BUMP!*_

"So it's settled then!" Mouse announced as she slid her laptop into its bag "WE VENTURE OFF TO THE LAND OF SUGAR AND OTHER THINGS THAT ROT YOUR TEETH!"

"Home SWEET home!" Vanellope cheered.

"**_UUUURGH!_**"

Both characters gasped as they looked off to the side, seeing Ralph leaning forward in his seat, his hands on the ground to support him.

"Ralph?! Ralph, what's wrong?!"

Ralph wanted nothing more than to reassure his friend that everything was fine but at this point, he knew that to say he was alright would have been the biggest lie to fly from his mouth. Ralph felt TERRIBLE, his entire body racked with pain and the thing that made it worse was that he didn't know WHY!

But that wasn't the least of Ralph's problems. Not by a long shot.

*GLITCH!*

Ralph let out an agonized scream as a glitch tore through his body, his mesh and binary blinking wildly. Vanellope let out a scream, not used to seeing Ralph glitching.

"Oh GOBS, Ralph!"

"St-stay back kid!" the man managed to say, a hand held out "I-I don't want to hurt you too!"

"ME?! What about YOU!?"

*GLITCH!*

Another glitch, another scream!

"M-M-M-MS. MOUSE!" the man stuttered, looking up at Mouse in desperation.

*GLITCH!*

With on final glitch, Ralph could feel whatever remaining energy he had leaving his body, every inch of him now feeling numb and empty. The pain he had felt before started to fade but it was soon replaced by a sense of weightlessness, as if he no longer had control over his own body. His hand slipped on the metal floor and without any other support, the huge man's body began to topple forward. Mouse and Vanellope jumped out of the way just as Ralph landed face first on the ground, his colors faded and his eyes empty.

"RALPH! Oh, programmers, **_RALPH!_**"


	16. Chapter 16- Overload

Chapter Sixteen- Overload

Ralph felt a twinge of coldness touch his skin, goose-bumps forming on the surface.

"_Nm, nnmm…No Pauline, I said I didn't want to put whipped cream there…._"

"Didn't I say he was still alive?" came the low voice of an unknown figure.

The wrecker's eyes began to flutter a bit, the only thing that he could see were shadows "_W-what? Where am I?_"

"He's comin' to!" shouted a familiar voice.

"_N-Nelly? I-is that-?_"

"OH RALPH" the child cried, throwing herself right into Ralph's face "I was so scared you were gone!"

Though he still felt dizzy and tired, Ralph was able to sit himself up on the floor, plucking Vanellope from him "W-whoa, easy kiddo! I'm still here…" the man chuckled "B-but if ya don't mind me askin', what happened back there?"

"Ya mean ya don't remember?" asked a stunned Vanellope "Ya fell out like someone comin' outta twenty-four hour sugar binge, that's what!"

"I did?" the wrecker said, rubbing his sore head "Seriously, it feels like I just blanked out while I was talkin' to ya guys about helpin' Gene an'-!"

"Gene….Gene isn't the only one who requires help now…." interrupted Mouse, the woman looking just as drained as Ralph "Seems to me that we have a new obstacle in front of us…"

Ralph turned towards the woman, "What do ya mean?! What's happenin' now?!"

* * *

"THE ENTIRE GAME IS GOIN' NUTS!" cried a little fuzz ball as it ran for its life out of the exit of Fix-it-Felix Jr.

Ralph could do nothing but look in shock as he pushed his way through the crowd of onlooker. Even from the great distance he stood from the entrance, he could still feel the surge of power and glitches that were happening from within the game.

No wonder he had been feeling terrible. His entire home was on the fritz!

"Holy pixels…." The man said in disbelief "WHAT'S HAPPENIN'?!"

"I-I think the game is starting to overload!" a voice called out from the crowd.

"**_OVERLOAD?!_**" Ralph shouted, grabbing Mouse by her shoulders "**_WHAT DO YOU MEAN OVERLOAD?!_**"

"EASY THERE, BIG FELLA!" the woman spat back, pushing Ralph's face back with both hands "I can't know for sure until I check out the code room of that place but right now? The only thing I can tell you is to STAY PUT!"

"Oh, no! There is NO WAY I'm stayin' out here!" Ralph growled "My friends are in there and-!"

"An' if you take ONE foot inside that game, you'll be trapped inside like the rest of 'em!" Calhoun finished, glaring at Ralph. The wrecker froze in his place as he got a look at Calhoun, the woman looking not at all pleased.

"I can understand your concern Wreck-It, but with things the way they are, I can't risk someone else getting hurt right now!"

"But Calhoun! What about-!?"

"**_YOU HEARD ME WRECK-IT!_**" the woman roared "Glitches can't leave their game, **_REMEMBER?_** You're lucky right now that you've managed to survive out here in your condition but the moment you go inside, there is no comin' out!"

"So what-?" Ralph shook, uncertain of what to say "What should I-? We-? What's the protocol for this?!"

Mouse bent down to her knees and put her hands on Vanellope's shoulders. Even with her eyes covered up, the small girl could sense of feeling of sadness radiating off the woman.

"Wanna do me a big favor kiddo?"

Vanellope could only nod, her eyes huge "Y-yeah?"

"I need ya to watch out for the big guy for me while tha Sarge an' I are gone? Ya think ya can do that?"

Vanellope puffed out her chest, trying to show that she could be brave in the face of another disaster in the arcade.

"Ma'am! I mean, Cadet! Ya can count on ME!" the girl said powerfully, saluting the woman a second later. Mouse grinned, glad to see someone was at least still together despite what was happening but she knew that unless she did something, a glitching game would be the least of their problems.

"**_TAMMY! TAMMY!_**"

Calhoun twirled in shock as she heard her name spoken, letting out a gasp when a terrible sight met her eyes.

"FELIX?!"

There before everyone stood Felix, the man looking more than terrified as he pounded on the invisible shield that was preventing him from escaping the confides of his own home, his little body glitching every second or so. To say that everyone was taken aback by what they saw was an understatement. Even Vanellope wasn't so sure how to take the sight, especially when it was bad enough that one of her friends was already glitching. Did she really need to see another?

Calhoun rushed over to her husband, jumping through the shield to hold him "You okay?!"

Felix clutched onto his wife, his eyes shut tight "Now that you're here-!"

The drone of another glitch wave echoed throughout the entire game, only to pass through the shield and spill out into the station. Calhoun looked ahead, dreading what she would find once the tunnel ended but she knew that she couldn't leave now, not when there was a game in need. She took a hold of her husband's hand and squeezed, almost as if to reassure him.

"Don't ya worry that cute lil nose of yours…" the woman growled "We're gonna have this all taken care of in no time at all."

Calhoun turned her focus back on the station, "CADET ORNELAZ!"

Mouse jolted a bit, the tone of her commanding officer enough to scare her out of her skin.

"Er, yes ma'am!"

"C'mon! I need that brain of yours! Don't waste time!"

Mouse only gave a nod as she ran through the crowd and into the entrance of the malfunctioning game, "Right on it, ma'am!"

"WHOA! SLOW DOWN!" panted Ralph, getting so close that it was a miracle he hadn't STEPPED on the woman.

Calhoun moved forward, looking none too pleased at the huge man "RALPH!? What did I tell you?!"

"L-Look, I know what you guys said, but I can't do it! I can't just stand out here not knowin' what's gonna happen to everyone!"

"Ralph, you know the consequences of going into the game in your state!" pleaded Mouse "Once you cross the line, there's no exit for you!"

"**_AND WHAT MAKES THAT SO BAD?!_**" the man roared "**_I'D RATHER DIE IN THERE WITH MY FRIENDS THAT STAY OUT HERE AN' KNOW I'M THA ONLY ONE LEFT BECAUSE I WAS TOO MUCH OF A COWARD!_**"

"Just understand for a second Ralph! We-!"

"No! Not doin' it!" the man shouted, making a step towards the entrance "When my home is in danger, I'm not gonna-!"

"RALPH! NO!"

The man froze in his place as he looked back, seeing Vanellope standing before him, her tiny body pale and her eyes looking as if they were on the edge of tears.

"L-listen to Calhoun, PLEASE!" the girl sobbed "I-I know ya wanna save your home but if ya leave now-!"

"_Vanellope…._"

The girl sniffed back, rubbing her eyes on her sleeve but her mood quickly changed. She was now glaring up at Ralph angrily and without another word, she dove forward and grabbed the man by his pant leg, pulling him back.

"Ya know what!? I'm with Calhoun on this one!"

"Vanellope, not you too!" the wrecker said, flabbergasted.

"Sorry, but it's too dangerous for ya big guy!" the girl continued, failing at trying to pull her friend back "An-an' who knows what could happen ta ya in there! What if ya do somethin' STUPID, Stink Breath!?"

"Kid, I can take care of my-!"

"RALPH! NO!" the girl screamed, her voice filling the entire station "I WON'T LET YA GO! YOU'RE HURT ENOUGH AS IT IS!"

A pin could have dropped in the station, everyone standing in silence as all eyes went to the large wrecker and the tiny racer. Vanellope panted in anger, her eyes still glued on Ralph while the large man found he could do nothing. What COULD he do at this point? No matter what, he was putting himself in danger and even worse was knowing that if something did happen….

He and Vanellope would lose each other.

After everything they had accomplished together, to be taken out in such a way?

Ralph didn't want to think about it but there he was, stuck between helping his home and helping Vanellope.

"Ralph?"

The man turned around, looking at Felix. The repairman gave the wrecker a grim look but there was something more to his emotions than what Ralph could see at the moment. Felix sighed heavily, taking his cap from his head.

"Ralph, don't hate me for doin' this ta ya, but…."

Ralph rose to his feet and looked down at Felix "_F-Felix?_"

The repairman craned his neck towards Ralph, his usually friendly eyes now filled with anger.

"Stay with Vanellope."

"_W-what?_"

"With things tha way they are…" Felix continued "Ah-ah just feel….Ya need ta be with Vanellope."

"But Felix! What about YOU?! What about the Nicelanders?!"

Felix smiled at Ralph, trying his best to reassure him "Tammy an' Mouse have things in order an' I'm sure they'll get things runnin' smoothly again in NO time!"

There was a bit of pain showing through Felix's smile but he brushed it off nonetheless, a small chuckle escaping him.

"After all, ya've done so much for us already. I think ya can sit this one out…."

"But Felix-!"

"Please, Ralph?" Felix said sadly "Just this once?"

Ralph knew when he was beat and with a heavy heart, he backed away from the entrance, nodding his head.

"Y-yes, Felix."

Both wrecker and repairman KNEW things were much bigger than Felix was making it out to be but there was no time for arguments now. There was a mission to be done and it had to be done NOW! Even though he didn't like it, Ralph decided to stay back, his heart filled with regret at the choice. Vanellope took ahold of the wrecker's hand but turned towards Felix and the others.

"Are ya sure ya can fix it?"

Felix smiled, taking his hammer out of his holster, a nervous smile on his face "D-don't worry kid! I can **_F-F-F-F-F-F-F!_**"

"FELIX!"

More glitches.

More trouble.

The repairman fell to his knees in pain, his hammer falling to the ground with a clunk. In any other scenario, the power of the magic hammer would have been able to fix something.

But now?

Now it was useless, its own powers tied to the very game that was on the verge of crashing.

There had been times when Felix had felt that his presence with others didn't mean anything but somehow, he always was able to lend and hand and help.

He could always make his way through ANYTHING.

But now?

In the first time in his life, Felix truly felt HELPLESS.

The man continued to glitch horribly, the pain going down right to his bones.

"Uuuuurgh! Th-this is nothin'! I can fix it! **_I CAN FIX IT!_**"

Calhoun took her husband into her arms, carrying him to the trolley "Mouse?"

The other marine nodded nervously "We better get started!"

All three characters boarded the trolley, the cart clanking to a start as it sped off into the darkness. Everyone in the arcade watched silently as the three disappeared into the unknown, the only thoughts on their minds being what was to happen next.

There was a game in need and time was of the essence.

Fix-it-Felix Jr. was on its last leg.


End file.
